Featherstone Rovers back Josh Hardcastle set for return to action, six months after suffering stroke
Josh Hardcastle in action for Featherstone Rovers in 2022 - Alamy
Featherstone Rovers have confirmed that Josh Hardcastle will return to action this weekend, just six months on from suffering a stroke.
In an exclusive interview with Love Rugby League in July, just a few weeks on from the stroke, Hardcastle admitted he feared it ‘could have been it’ as he lay in his hospital bed.
The centre – who has made 145 senior appearances for Featherstone over the last seven years – just remembered having a ‘funny turn’ while in the bath, before his partner found him on the bathroom floor.
Despite the scare, he was adamant that a return to the field was possible, and this weekend six months of hard work see the reward of being able to step back out as the Rovers take on fellow Championship outfit Dewsbury Rams at Post Office Road in a pre-season friendly.
Featherstone confirmed his return to the squad on their X account – @FevRoversRLFC – this afternoon, as below.
👥 Squad
Here’s our squad ahead of Sunday’s Bartercard Pre-season Series game against Dewsbury.
🎟️: Will you be there too? Get your tickets in advance: https://t.co/tv7ll4m0Sq#BlueWall pic.twitter.com/N7SZvCOgOe
— Featherstone Rovers (@FevRoversRLFC) January 12, 2024
Featherstone Rovers back Josh Hardcastle set for return to action, six months after suffering stroke
In the time that Hardcastle has had to spend on the sidelines, he watched his team-mates go on to win the Championship League Leaders’ Shield at a canter, as expected.
What came next however was a catastrophe, knocked out of the play-offs at the semi-final stage on their own patch for the second year in a row.
Not many of that squad from last year are still around, with Hardcastle and the handful of those who have remained now needing to bed in alongside some new recruits, young and old.
James Ford’s side beat Bradford Bulls 16-12 at Post Office Road in their first run out of the year last Sunday – January 7 – courtesy of tries from Brad Day, Thomas Lacans and Ollie Farrar.