Former Castleford Tigers star Jake Trueman opens up on lonely pre-season at new club Hull FC

The talented half-back has a new club after swapping Castleford Tigers for Hull FC at the end of last season.

But for a fresh injury setback in the shape of a ruptured ACL, Trueman would be preparing to face his old club in round one.

As it is, he is running laps on his own, which feels like a novelty after months of total seclusion.

"It's tough being away from the group," Trueman told The Yorkshire Post.

"It's a big step for the ACL getting back running. That's one of the more enjoyable parts of rehab.

"I've been stuck inside completely away from the team so it's good to get out there watching training while I do a bit of running.

"It's a pretty slow process. I'm six months in now and have only just started running. From here, it speeds up and shouldn't be too long. I'm looking at round 10, the start of May."

The timeline would take Trueman to 10 months on the sidelines, which is about par for the course with an ACL injury.

To complicate matters, the 23-year-old suffered additional damage to the knee.

"I did my meniscus as well so I was on crutches for six weeks," he added.

"My left leg lost all its muscle and strength. The hardest bit was trying to build that back up.

"Then coming here with a new group, you just want to get straight into it but you're stuck in the gym doing your rehab."

The Bradford Bulls academy product won the Super League Young Player of the Year award at the end of his first full season with Castleford in 2018 and went on tour with Great Britain the following year.

A chronic back injury stalled Trueman's progress, restricting him to 21 appearances across the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Trueman appeared to be getting back to somewhere close to his best last year after a successful operation allowed him to string 19 games together, only for his knee to buckle against Huddersfield Giants in July.

Just like that, his hopes for a glorious ending to his time at Castleford were over.

"We had a stop-start year with Covid in 2020 and then I did my back which was my first serious injury," said Trueman.

"I came back from that feeling good and thought my injuries were behind me. To end like that at Cas and start like that here was a bit gutting.

"I felt like the team was going to do well and have a good go at the play-offs then injuries hit and the season sort of petered away.

"It was pretty similar to Hull. It seemed like we were going well but every week we'd have one or two injuries which kills you.

"The key to success now in Super League is keeping as many players out there as possible. It's no coincidence that Saints keep most of their team fit and have won the comp the last four years."

Trueman made 103 appearances for the Tigers after joining from Bradford as a 17-year-old at the start of 2017.

The playmaker largely had a watching brief as Castleford romped to the League Leaders' Shield only to fall agonisingly short of a maiden Super League title at the end of his debut season.

It proved to be a false dawn for the Tigers, with the 2021 Challenge Cup final the closest Trueman came to major silverware during his time at Wheldon Road.

"I loved it at Cas," he said. "I wouldn't be playing regularly in Super League if it wasn't for Cas.

"It was 100 per cent the right decision to go there. The coaches, the players – it's a great club.

"My debut stands out but probably my best memory was beating Warrington in a quarter-final in 2019. We went over there with no chance with five or six of our best players out and beat them. That was pretty special."

As Castleford look to put an injury-ravaged season behind them, Trueman is preparing to slot into a new-look spine at Hull.

Once fit, Trueman will link up with Jake Clifford in the halves and have potential gamebreakers around him in Brad Dwyer and Tex Hoy.

Tony Smith's fingerprints were all over last week's free-flowing performance against an understrength Wakefield Trinity side, hinting at a brighter season for the Black and Whites.

"I'm very excited," said Trueman.

"There's a new spine and a new coach. It's just a case of working out people's strengths and how it's all going to fit together. Watching it from the outside, it looks pretty good and is coming along well."

On the coaching change which saw Smith replace Brett Hodgson, Trueman added: "It was a bit weird at the time.

"Obviously the coach has a massive influence on how the team plays and Brett was the one who signed me so it was a bit worrying. You wonder whether the new guy will want you or rate you.

"When Tony came in, we met up and he put all that to bed. I was excited when he came in because he's known as an attacking coach who brings out the best in players in the spine."

Trueman has little choice but to settle into the role of spectator in the first few months of the season.

He is hoping the tough days in rehab become a distant memory as Old Trafford comes into view.

"I just want to get fit and play as many games as I can and build into the season," said Trueman. "Hopefully towards the back end, the club are in those big games.

"It feels like a big year. I've had two years of being in and out which stops your progress a bit. I want to get over my injuries and play as many games as I possibly can.

"As a team, I think we can be there or thereabouts this year competing in the big games. Looking at the quality we've got in the group, I think that's well within our capabilities."