New Castleford Tigers chairman Martin Jepson has explained his decision to hand Danny McGuire his first-ever head coach role.
McGuire has just started his first pre-season as a head coach, following the decision from the club to remove Craig Lingard from his role following the 2024 season.
A Leeds Rhinos legend as a player, his coaching career until now was as assistant coach at Hull KR and Castleford themseleves – as well as a short period as interim coach of Hull KR.
Therefore, he’s not completely new to either a head coach-style role or to the club, but the decision still raised eyebrows from some due to the relative lack of experience he has.
However, the decision was equally praised by many – with some pointing to Sam Burgess’ impact on Warrington Wolves in his own first-ever season as a head coach.
Castleford Tigers chairman explains why Danny McGuire is best for head coach role
Credit: Ed Sykes/SWpix.com
To be alongside McGuire, Brett Delaney was brought into the coaching structure and will be an assistant coach for the Tigers in 2025.
He’s well-known to McGuire, having played alongside him for Leeds Rhinos for a number of years, as well as being a coach with him during their time with Hull KR.
Speaking to the COYFCast, Jepson explained: “You’re talking about two individuals who have got as many trophies under their belts as players as anybody in the league.
“I’ve not really worked it out, but are there many other coaching duos that have got more Grand Finals, Challenge Cups, et cetera under their belt? I’d be very surprised.
“Equally, they’re both relatively early in their coaching journey – but I’m quite a believer in backing a younger generation in every respect.
“They’ve got a big winning mentality and I was keen to get that translated across into the club. We always said that we would grow as a club – and we’ve now got a number of players who have got 20 additional appearances under the belt from last year, which we expect them to move forward over the next 12 months, and supplement it with a few other players.
“If you can’t learn from players who bring a professional approach, who have got that sort of winning mentality, I’m not sure who you can learn from.”
Credit: VAUGHN RIDLEY/SWPIX.COM
He also said: “Danny was my choice to come on board. He was very keen to bring Brett Delaney on board.
“They’re very good friends, they’ve played together, they’ve worked together. Brett’s just come off a season where he was coaching a grand finalist.
“So, from the little bit I’ve seen of him, I really like his attitude. And I think Danny and Brett, yes, they’re friends, but they complement each other quite well from what I’ve seen.”
It’s yet to be seen whether they’ll end up being successful, but this coaching duo is certainly an exciting prospect for fans of Castleford Tigers
You can listen to the full episode of the COYFCast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
