Castleford Tigers head coach Craig Lingard has paid tribute to club legend Paul McShane after the veteran’s final home game following nine brilliant years of service.
It wasn’t the fairy-tale ending that McShane had hoped for when he walked out at Wheldon Road for the final time, with Leigh comfortably beating Castleford 34-12.
The 34-year-old made the move to The Jungle in 2015 in a swap deal with Wakefield Trinity that saw Scott Moore go the other way. Since then, McShane has played a total of 222 games for the Tigers but his home career as a Castleford player ended in defeat.
That’s something that Tigers boss Craig Lingard was left ruing when he spoke after the match on Friday night, explaining that the Castleford captain ‘deserved better’.
Lingard stated: “We didn’t do Macca justice for his last home game. We’ve got to value them occasions more. For a servant like Macca who has done so much for rugby league and Castleford Tigers putting his body on the line week after week, he deserved a better performance than that.”
With two games remaining of the season, McShane will be aiming to go out on a high, albeit in front of the club’s travelling support, when they face St Helens and Huddersfield. His retirement was confirmed on Thursday, a day before the game.
Castleford Tigers star ‘at peace’ with retirement
Credit: John Clifton/SWpix.com
McShane’s shining moment was his 2020 Man of Steel win but it could be argued that he was just as influential in Castleford Tigers‘ superb 2017 campaign when the club made it to the Grand Final.
He was named captain of the club after Michael Shenton’s retirement, skippering the side 28 times in the 2022 season but injuries have hampered him in the past two seasons.
The 34-year-old has only managed eight Super League appearances this season and Craig Lingard explained that such an injury record has made the decision to retire easier with McShane “at peace” with his call.
“What he has done in the game is fantastic,” the Castleford Tigers boss explained.
“I think that he’s at peace with the decision that he’s retiring on his terms. I guess he would have liked to play more this season and last but ultimately, I think that’s part of what’s affected his decision as well.
“He’s got to look now towards the rest of his life rather than another 12 months’ worth of rugby league. I think he can look back on his career and what he’s achieved. He has some setbacks in his career as well but he’s found a home here. I think the gratitude and the love towards Macca is reciprocated as well, so I think it’s a fantastic career for Macca and hopefully one that he has enjoyed.”
Succession plan in place at The Jungle
Credit: Matt West/SWpix.com
Lingard would reference McShane’s injury woes, even claiming that he was disappointed and frustrated that he was unable to work with such a talented player during his first foray into Super League coaching.
“It’s disappointing because I’ve not worked with Macca as much as I wanted to. When I came in last season as assistant coach, I think I had a couple of games with him before his injury. Then he had a real good pre-season, before his hamstring. He was back for four or five games and then did his arm.
“It’s frustrating, more so for Macca, but it’s frustrating for me as a coach. When you’ve got this season with a lot of inexperienced people, you want to get your senior players out there as much as possible. We’ve missed Macca this year.”
One thing that has also made the retirement decision easier for the former Leeds Rhinos man is the fact that Castleford have a clear succession plan with Liam Horne and Cain Robb having shone for the Tigers in what has been a difficult season.
Craig Lingard explained: “He’s said in team meetings that his decision has been made a little bit easier with how well Liam Horne and Cain Robb have gone and he doesn’t want to hold them back either.”
That sentiment is probably a testament to the man that Paul McShane is, a true rugby league legend and someone well worthy of the adoration and praise he got on Friday night.
