Castleford Tigers confirm timeframe for announcement of new coaching team; ‘Contracts are being finalised’

Castleford Tigers have tonight confirmed that their new coaching team should be announced on Tuesday night, with the i’s currently being dotted and the t’s crossed.

Danny Ward returned to lead the club to Super League survival this term, and was in pole position to take the job on a more permanent basis.

It’s believed that the Tigers’ contract offer was below what Ward expected however, and he turned it down. When asked by Love Rugby League last month ahead of their final game of the season, Ward also appeared to be on a different page than the club’s hierarchy when it came to the squad for 2024.

Director Danny Wilson commented that they want to ‘bring the age profile of the squad down’ when releasing figures like Greg Eden and Suaia Matagi. Ward though insisted it didn’t matter how old a player was as long as they did the job asked of them.

The expectation is that current assistant Craig Lingard, whose duties at Batley Bulldogs have now come to a close, will take charge with Danny McGuire making the move over from Hull KR to become his number two.

The Leeds Rhinos legend, and Super League’s all-time top try-scorer, saw his departure from Craven Park confirmed earlier on today.

Castleford Tigers confirm timeframe for announcement of new coaching team

Cas this year burned through three head coaches, sacking both Lee Radford in March and his successor Andy Last – who is now back in the game at Catalans Dragons – come August.

In a short statement published this evening, the Fords said: “The club would like to address the situation regarding the appointment of coaching staff for the 2024 season.

“Castleford Tigers can confirm that we have agreed terms with our coaching staff for the 2024 season, and contracts are now being finalised.

“We understand that the delay in the announcement is not what fans want to hear, but we can assure the supporters that all the outstanding paperwork will be finalised by Tuesday morning, with a view to announcing the 2024 coaching team on Tuesday evening.

“Once again, we would like to thank the fans for their continued support and appreciate their patience.”

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