Following a tough 2023 season, Castleford Tigers’ preparation for the upcoming 2024 season is well underway. New head coach, Craig Lingard has recently stepped up from his previous position as their assistant coach and the club now have their eyes on refreshing their ageing squad.
There were several reasons for last season’s poor performances, but a key issue highlighted by Lingard and the club’s hierarchy is the age profile of the squad – as experienced players frequently missed games with injuries.
Lingard said: “We need players who we can get on the field. I think the squad we had last year was an ageing squad, players were struggling at the backend of the season injury-wise, and we couldn’t get them on the field. The experienced players we did have last year, we couldn’t get them out on the park.”
With the club desperate to avoid a repeat of last year’s disappointing season, in which their Super League status was at stake up until the penultimate fixture, steps have already been taken as they look to create a new-look squad by embedding youth.
Lingard said: “There’s been a definite conscious decision this year to lower the age group of the squad. We’re looking at players in the age profile of between 21 and 25, young hungry people.”
The Tigers have already secured the signings of 10 new players, including 23-year-old Josh Hodson and 22-year-old Josh Simm.
Lingard hopes to improve on last season, hoping to have a more reliable and ever-present squad by introducing more young talent who “have not made their mark on a Super League environment yet, but still want to do that. That younger squad means we will hopefully get more time and content out of them on the playing field”
