'Mentally he's a tough fella': Under-fire Castleford Tigers forward Joe Westerman backed to respond in right manner

The 33-year-old is available for selection as Castleford switch their attention to Sunday's trip to Hull FC following a challenging start to the week.

The Tigers hit Westerman with a substantial fine after a video of the loose forward engaged in a sex act with a woman in public went viral.

As part of his punishment, he will undertake community service to educate young people on the effects of alcohol and the dangers of social media when in the public eye.

Radford has no qualms about throwing Westerman in against his former club after swiftly reprimanding the player.

"He's available, definitely," said Radford. "I'm sure he's going to have a blast at the KC Stadium.

"I think he'll be up for playing, definitely. He's alright. He's Joe. He's been himself.

"Monday knocked us about a little bit but since then he's trained well and put his best foot forward for selection.

"He's one of a number of players who have had a good pre-season and players I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do as a collective in 2023."

Westerman can expect to be the subject of terrace taunts on his return to Hull in round one.

Radford, who worked with Westerman during his time at Hull as a player and coach, has seen enough from the experienced forward to suggest he can handle what is coming his way.

"I think the easy one is to play well," added Radford. "That's the best way to silence a crowd.

"He's driven a rocky road and has had other setbacks throughout his career off the field but he's always responded in a good manner and mentally he's a tough fella.

"As a group we want to play well and knock our first result off of the season. I'm sure Joe will be as motivated as everyone else if he is to participate."