Ian Millward gets the chop – but is that enough to breathe life into Cas?

The only surprising thing about Ian Millward’s departure from Castleford is that he lasted so long.

Last year he scraped six wins out of 28 competitive games. One of those 22 defeats came against Featherstone in the Challenge Cup.

This season, a paltry return of one win in 11 has left the Tigers rooted to the bottom of the Super League table.

That’s a total of seven wins in 39 matches – or a win ratio of just 17.9 per cent – which is enough to put any coach under intense pressure.

Only club insiders will genuinely know whether Millward’s coaching wasn’t up to scratch, or whether there are deeper problems to solve – although from the outside at least Castleford’s difficulties look to stretch far beyond the head coach.

But what is clear is that the Tigers now face a make-or-break three weeks. Games against Widnes and Salford sandwich a Challenge Cup trip to Headingley. Lose all three, and their season is probably over before May.

Putting Danny Orr in temporary charge seems a sensible short-term option, but there must be a worry for Castleford fans about the club’s ability to attract a proven high-level coach.

One option could be Daryl Powell; another might be John Kear. But what’s the temptation for either of them, apart from the emotional ties Kear has to his hometown club?

If Super League reduces in size, even just to 12 teams, the Tigers are one of the front-runners for the chop. 

They’re already well behind the eight ball, with major concerns both on and off the pitch. That it took the club eight hours to confirm the initial reports of Millward’s departure, frustrating fans anxious to hear what was going on at their club, says much about the Tigers’ off-field struggles.

One of Millward’s last acts as Castleford coach was to hold a press conference last Thursday to unveil the signing of Ryan Boyle.

His words were upbeat, but his body language and his delivery betrayed him. He looked like a dead man walking.

Now they’ve swung the axe, can the Tigers spring back to life? They will need to convince someone that they are still a worthwhile proposition. 

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The fourth round draw for the Tetley’s Challenge Cup didn’t throw up much in terms of headline-grabbing draws, with only two all Super League clashes.

But any draw that includes Hemel, Gloucestershire All Golds and Toulouse alongside the likes of Wigan, Leeds and St Helens is fine by me.

Continued geographic expansion remains rugby league’s only path to future growth and success.

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Has there been a better try this year than Ryan Atkins’ last-minute effort at Headingley on Sunday?

It doesn’t matter that it was meaningless; just sit back and enjoy one of the best handling moves put together over the last decade.

Atkins’ score showed everything that was good about rugby league – brilliant handling, support play, ingenuity and a determination to keep going until the very last play. We should celebrate such moments, not dismiss it because it didn’t alter the result.