Castleford Tigers star Semi Valemei closes in on long-awaited injury return

Castleford Tigers star Semi Valemei could be set to make his long-awaited return from injury as early as this weekend’s clash against St Helens.

Valemei was one of Castleford’s highest profile additions for the 2026 season, having joined on a deal from North Queensland Cowboys.

However, he missed the opening weeks of the season before making a brief return in Rounds 5 and 6. Valemei was then sidelined with another injury which has kept him out for almost two months.

But Ryan Carr has confirmed that the Fiji international is now ‘days’ away from a return rather than weeks, and he is back in full training with the Tigers squad.

“He’s potentially in the picture,” Carr said when asked if he would feature against the table-topping Saints on Saturday afternoon.

“We’ve got to point where he’s starting to close in. We were looking at weeks, but we’re now looking at days before he can play again.

“You come to a new country and you want to do what you love, which is play. It’s been really hard for him but he’s done a really good job. His application in training, I couldn’t be happier with him.”

Jack Ashworth update

Carr also confirmed that Jack Ashworth is closing in on a return to first-team action too. Ashworth was a notable inclusion for the Tigers’ reserve side last weekend, despite being named in the 21-man squad that defeated York Knights.

But the former Hull FC prop has had a punctured start to life at Castleford with injuries and suspension, and Carr insisted their priority was to get the forward up to speed before bringing him back into Super League contention.

He said: “He’s an experienced Super League player and he’s missed a lot of footy early in the year through suspension then he got injured and it’s been hard for him. His inconsistency with his training has been tough so we’re trying to get him some consistency in his game-time. He plays his best rugby when he’s consistently on the field.”

Will Jack Brown feature?

Carr seemed to suggest that despite completing a deal to sign him with immediate effect, Hull KR prop Jack Brown may not be in their 21-man squad to face the Saints.

They are likely to make only minimal changes to the 17 that defeated York, with a replacement for the suspended George Hirst likely to be their only change.

And when asked if Castleford would use Brown this week, Carr stopped short of confirming a deal had been agreed. He said: “The squad that we’re running out this week is the squad we’re running out this week other than the enforced change from George. 

“It’s been documented we’ve signed him for 2027, we’re interested in him for 2027.”

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