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Recruitment, new leaders and three more Castleford Tigers issues Danny McGuire must tackle

Castleford Tigers Danny McGuire

Castleford Tigers have appointed Danny McGuire as their new head coach and the ex-Leeds Rhinos man already has quite the to-do list.

It’s been a whirlwind week at The Jungle with the club seeing investor Martin Jepson confirmed as the new owner after he bought out the Fulton family to assume near-100% ownership.

He was then quick to work on stamping his own identity on the club as he made the surprise decision to part ways with Craig Lingard, showcasing not only the cutthroat businessman that he is but also the intent and ambitions he holds for the club.

Those ambitions were further laid out when the Tigers cemented their status as a Grade A club when the IMG scores were revealed on Wednesday. Much of the off-field work that Jepson had helped facilitate proved pivotal to attaining that score of 15 points.

However, in hiring Danny McGuire, they’ve made arguably the biggest splash of the past two weeks with the club looking to a first-time head coach to guide them into their new era. It’s a brave hire but one that could pay huge dividends and we’ve looked at the first five things McGuire must do in his new role.

Five things Danny McGuire must do early on at Castleford Tigers

Hire a defence-focused assistant

With McGuire moving from the assistant role to the head coaching one, it’s evident that he will need an assistant but who he chooses and what traits they boast are also incredibly important.

As one of the best playmakers that Super League has ever seen, even holding the try-scoring record up until this season, McGuire will undoubtedly bring plenty of attacking intent in his coaching philosophy.

Balancing that with an elite defensive-minded assistant will be paramount to any success that Castleford Tigers have with the club often on the back of heavy defeats in the past few years. Only Hull FC and London shipped more points than Castleford in 2024 with the Tigers shipping 40 or more points on five occasions.

It looks as though Brett Delaney, a former Leeds Rhinos teammate and Hull KR coach, has been earmarked with the Robins releasing him earlier this week. A reunion between the former Headingley men would make perfect sense.

Sign a premium half-back

When did Castleford Tigers last have a truly elite playmaker It could be argued that you’re looking all the way back to Luke Gale and his Man of Steel campaign in 2017, or when he departed for Leeds Rhinos after the 2019 season.

Success in Super League can be had in many ways but having an elite half-back is one of the biggest factors in a club being successful. Both Danny Richardson and Jake Trueman made Cas fans believe but the club need to sign a star.

Jacob Miller has left and that leaves the club’s options quite thin on the ground with Rowan Milnes expected to be the start, but with who is the question? Daejarn Asi has been linked with the club and the Parramatta Eels man could be the answer. If he isn’t then McGuire could be tasked with developing Jenson Windley or looking at the market again in 2026.

Define the spine

Tex Hoy, who joined Castleford Tigers from Hull FC Super League

Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com

Whilst the half-back will be key, the whole spine will have questions to answer. Tex Hoy was brilliant when he came in early last season but the Australian would miss games down the track which led to Fletcher Rooney getting some good minutes.

Whilst Hoy will be the club’s number one with near certainty, Rooney will be in and around and helping him develop will be a major job for McGuire. Sorting the six and seven seems is integral as already referenced but there are questions at hooker.

Liam Horne had a standout season for Cas but with Cain Robb developing and reports that Judah Rimbu, who scored 16 tries for PNG Hunters in 2024, could be on his way then balancing minutes could be tough. A clear and defined spine is key to success and that’s what McGuire must work on in pre-season.

Appoint new leaders

The 2025 season will be the first for Castleford Tigers since 2014 with the veteran departing after over 220 games for the club. Whilst he has struggled to stay on the field in recent years, his influence at the club off the field cannot be understated.

A former Man of Steel winner and England representative, McShane will have driven standards and without him the club must fill the void. Joe Westerman had been appointed co-captain with McShane last year but McGuire might opt to look for someone younger and with a longer contract.

Both Westerman and veteran Liam Watts see their deals expire at the end of 2025 so looking to the captain of the future and building a leadership group from the ground up as this new era begins could be wise.

Keep the momentum

Credit: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com

Whilst the news of Lingard’s exit came as a shock and will have likely ruffled feathers among a few fans, the news since then has been overwhelmingly positive with Grade A status secured and a swift and generally well-received head coaching appointment.

There is an air of positivity at Castleford at the moment, something that Craig Lingard must take huge praise for, but McGuire must now capitalise on and use that momentum. There is credit in the bank with fans generally and McGuire needs to harness that and keep propelling the club forward.

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