New Castleford Tigers signing suffers ACL injury in early blow

The Super League season hasn’t even finished yet, but Castleford Tigers have already suffered a major injury ahead of the 2027 season, and it is to one of their new signings.

Alfie Johnson has earned a deal with the Tigers after an excellent season in the Championship with Halifax Panthers. The outside back scored 13 tries in 15 games for Fax, earning him accolades with the club at the end of the year.

His performance saw him catch the attention of the Tigers who moved to sign the former Warrington Wolves player. Now, however, they have learned that they will be without him for a prolonged period of time.

Johnson took to social media to confirm he has had ACL reconstructive surgery, an operation that is expected to come with a nine-month recovery time, meaning he will be out of action until the end of June.

Posting on Instagram, the 25-year-old said: “This one hurts… ACL reconstruction complete.

“Just another step on the journey, see you in a little while.”

It’s a blow for Castleford early doors, especially at a time when they are expected to move on a number of their outside backs.

Mikaele Ravalawa and Semi Valemei are two players Castleford are thought to be keen on letting go after just one season, though that would leave them light in the threequarters heading into next year. But without Johnson too, the Tigers would start looking particularly light, with Mat Fegai the only other outside back currently joining the club.

For now, Castleford are still going through the process of identifying their next head coach, with a final decision on the next appointment yet to be made. The likes of Paul Rowley and Jamie Langley have been linked with the role since the departure of Ryan Carr, who left after just under one season in charge.

Castleford eventually ended the season 13th, a disappointing campaign after a high-profile recruitment drive last year.