Castleford Tigers are on the hunt for a new head coach following the decision to part ways with Craig Lingard. The former Batley Bulldogs man had just one season at the helm at Wheldon Road, but following the news of Martin Jepson’s takeover, he has been dismissed.
Pressure is on Jepson to make the right appointment then as he looks to take the club in a different direction and bring success to the club. There are already reports of who might be next in line to take the Tigers’ hotseat, and here, we take a look at five possible targets.
Danny McGuire
He’s the man in the frame according to Rugby League Live, having coached as an assistant under Lingard this season. The former Leeds Rhinos and Hull KR man is highly thought of as a coach and he obviously knows the club and the group of players the incoming boss would be working with in West Yorkshire.
The reports add that KR assistant coach Brett Delaney is the man McGuire would want to join him at Wheldon Road should he take over. However, while McGuire has coached since joining Tony Smith’s ranks at Craven Park back in 2020, he has never held a head coach role, which ought to be a consideration.
Ian Watson
One of the more obvious choices currently available and on the market, Watson has been without a job since leaving Huddersfield Giants in July. The former Wales international had three and a half seasons with the Giants and while he did manage to take the club to the Challenge Cup final in 2022, he struggled to meet expectations over his last 18 months at the club.
However, the success he found at Salford Red Devils on a strict budget is still fresh in the memory, with Watson defying the odds to take the club to the Grand Final and the Challenge Cup final. Jepson wants to see his side play in such games and Watson’s track record might be attractive.
Mike Eccles
Eccles has done a tremendous job with London Broncos in extremely testing circumstances over the last couple of years. Against all the odds, He led the Broncos to Super League in 2023 and while the writing has been on the wall for London all year this time around, he galvanised his players enough to pick up three big wins.
Ultimately, the Broncos finished bottom of the table, but they certainly managed to exceed expectations with Eccles helping to build a real team camaraderie in the capital. At present Eccles is due to remain at London for next season, but if the opportunity to coach in the top flight were to arise he may well be tempted.
Danny Ward
Ward successfully helped Castleford Tigers to avoid relegation after taking on the head coach role on a temporary basis. However, according to reports, he rejected the opportunity to take on the role permanently before eventually joining Hull KR’s coaching team.
Whether he could be tempted back to Wheldon Road remains to be seen, but he certainly has a strong track record.
Tony Smith
Smith has been without a job since leaving Hull FC in April after just 18 months in charge of the club. Of course, circumstances were difficult at the MKM Stadium, and Smith struggled to find joy at the club before his eventual exit, with the club making a habit of conceding more than 50 points.
However, Smith certainly has the experience and the knowhow needed to bring success to Wheldon Road and if he’d up for the role, he’s certainly worth considering.