Castleford Tigers eye up Hull KR coaching swoop as Craig Lingard succession plans emerge

Castleford Tigers are set to install Danny McGuire as their head coach for 2025 – with Hull KR assistant Brett Delaney part of the club’s plans for his support staff.

The Tigers parted company with Craig Lingard on Monday after just a year in charge – and McGuire appears destined to succeed the man he assisted throughout 2024 and be given his first big break as a head coach on a permanent basis.

And McGuire is keen to bring his former Leeds team-mate Delaney into the mix as his number two should he get the job – with talks likely to commence between Rovers and the Tigers in the coming days.

Castleford are keen for a swift appointment after Lingard’s dismissal – with the new man likely to be installed long before pre-season training begins for 2025.

They confirmed on Monday lunchtime that Lingard had been relinquished of his duties after just a solitary season at the helm, with Lingard winning eight matches in his maiden year as a Super League head coach.

And they look set to move fast and give McGuire the position on a full-time basis if the current plans are seen through to completion, with new prospective owner Martin Jepson a fan of McGuire and the potential he has as a coach.

Jepson is keen to put his stamp on the club after completing an agreement to purchase the shares of the Fulton family which will make him the club’s majority shareholder.

And his first big decision, changing the club’s head coach, is unlikely to be a drawn-out affair, with McGuire on track to be named as Lingard’s replacement.

But he is keen to bring in Delaney from Rovers too as the Tigers head in a fresh direction in 2025 under Jepson’s ownership.

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