Rowan Milnes

Rowan Milnes (born 1 September 1999) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or  for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League.

He has previously played for the Bradford Bulls in League 1 and the Championship, and Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League. He has spent time on loan and dual registration from Hull KR at the Bradford Bulls and the Dewsbury Rams in the Championship, and Wakefield Trinity in the Super League.

Background
Milnes was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.

He is a product of the Bradford Bulls Academy system. He signed a professional contract with the Bulls prior to the 2018 season.

Bradford Bulls
In the 2018 season, Milnes featured in the pre-season friendlies against Halifax R.L.F.C., Sheffield Eagles and Dewsbury Rams. He scored against Halifax R.L.F.C. (1 goal) and Sheffield Eagles (2 goals). He played in Round 2 (London Skolars) then in Round 10 (Newcastle Thunder).

In the 2019 season, Milnes featured in the pre-season friendlies against York City Knights, Dewsbury Rams, Batley Bulldogs and Toronto Wolfpack. He scored against Dewsbury Rams (2 goals) and Batley Bulldogs (1 goal). Milnes played in Round 3 (Sheffield Eagles) then in Round 8 (Leigh Centurions) to Round 14 (Halifax R.L.F.C.). Milnes also featured in the 2019 Challenge Cup in Round 4 (Keighley Cougars) to Quarter Final (Halifax R.L.F.C.). He scored against Leigh Centurions (1 goal), Dewsbury Rams (1 try), Halifax R.L.F.C. (1 try, 3 goals), Toronto Wolfpack (1 try) and Leeds Rhinos (4 goals).

Following the financial issues at the club, he signed for Hull Kingston Rovers along with four other Bradford players, however Milnes was loaned back to the Bulls for the 2020 season.

Hull Kingston Rovers
On 12 August 2023, Milnes played for Hull Kingston Rovers in their 17-16 golden point extra-time loss to Leigh in the Challenge Cup final. Milnes played a total of 18 games for Hull Kingston Rovers in the 2023 Super League season as the club finished fourth on the table and qualified for the playoffs.

Bradford Bulls (loan)
In the 2020 season, Milnes featured in the pre-season friendlies against Castleford Tigers, Leeds Rhinos, Dewsbury Rams and York City Knights. He scored against Castleford Tigers (1 try, 2 goals) and Dewsbury Rams (2 goals). Milnes played in Round 1 (London Broncos) to Round 5 (Sheffield Eagles). Rowan also featured in the 2020 Challenge Cup in Round 4 (Underbank Rangers) to Round 5 (Wakefield Trinity). He scored against Featherstone Rovers (3 goals), Underbank Rangers (1 try, 3 goals), Oldham R.L.F.C. (5 goals), Sheffield Eagles (4 goals) and Wakefield Trinity (1 try, 3 goals).

Castleford Tigers
On 8 October 2023, the Castleford Tigers announced the signing of Milnes on a two-year deal from the 2024 season. He suffered a partial dislocation of his shoulder in a pre-season friendly against London in January. Milnes made his Castleford debut in round 2 against the Salford Red Devils, and scored his first try on 23 March against the Batley Bulldogs in the Challenge Cup. In round 10 against Leigh, Milnes successfully kicked two late touchline conversions to level the scores. In round 16, he kicked two penalty goals to earn Castleford an away victory against St Helens for only the second time in 33 years.