Castleford Tigers young gun lands Championship loan as destination revealed

Castleford Tigers youngster Woody Walker will don a shirt on loan for Whitehaven this weekend, getting his first taste of the Championship.

Utility forward Walker – who is able to slot into the front-row or back-row – awaits his first-team debut for Cas, with Ryan Carr’s Tigers sat tenth on the Super League ladder following last weekend’s heavy defeat to rivals Wakefield Trinity at Magic Weekend.

Still only 20, Walker does have six professional appearances on his CV, with those all made at the back end of last season on loan in League 1 at Newcastle Thunder.

A game against Haven last August is included in that six-match tally, and come Sunday afternoon, he will be wearing the colours of the Cumbrians as they host Swinton Lions in a Championship clash.

Castleford Tigers young gun Woody Walker lands Championship loan with Whitehaven switch confirmed

Walker – whose 21st birthday will come in October – joins a Haven side sat 13th on the Championship ladder with 11 competition points to their name from the 17 league games they have played this term.

The Marras, who are headed up by James Newton, have seven games remaining of the ‘regular’ season and will need to break into the division’s top ten spots if they are to compete in the play-offs.

Ahead of this weekend’s action, tenth-placed Dewsbury Rams are three competition points better off than them.

On Walker’s short-term arrival, which was announced via social media on Friday afternoon, head coach Newton said: “We needed a player to get 18 players together, we’re at bare bones and bruised and battered at the moment.

“I’d like to thank Woody and Castleford, he’s trained with us tonight (Thursday) and hopefully will be raring to go come Sunday.”

Haven enter Sunday’s clash against Swinton on the back of successive defeats having been beaten by both Sheffield Eagles and Newcastle at the end of June.

The Lions are among the Championship’s strugglers, with only Halifax Panthers and North Wales Crusaders – who have both been hit with points deductions this term amid financial problems – sat below them on the ladder.

As always with the new loan system adopted by the British game ahead of the 2026 campaign, Walker’s stint with Haven may yet be extended on a week-to-week basis, should both the Championship side and parent club Castleford see fit.

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