How Castleford Tigers will benefit from ‘unique’ Manly Sea Eagles partnership

It was reported yesterday that Castleford Tigers were set to enter a partnership with NRL side Manly Sea Eagles and the Super League club has now confirmed it and explained how they will benefit.

News of the partnership emerged yesterday with reports down under describing a “revolutionary amalgamation” between the two clubs that would focus on youth development.

Manly would offer a pathway to the NRL for those in the Castleford academy, something that it’s believed would help aid the Tigers in their youth recruitment to give them a bigger and higher-quality talent pool.

Castleford have now announced the partnership themselves and explained the benefits of the deal in a statement released on their website.

It read: “Castleford Tigers are proud to announce a one-of-a-kind partnership with NRL club, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. Hard work to build this relationship has been going on behind the scenes and the deal is now over the line.”

Castleford Tigers confirm Manly partnership

Cas continued their statement by explaining what exactly the partnership would mean for both clubs.

They explained: “This partnership will allow Castleford Tigers to further improve the way of doing things on a day-to-day basis, and improve the development of young talent locally coming through the pathway while both clubs will lean on each other to provide opportunities for both Tigers and Sea Eagles players on both sides of the world.

“The ultimate goal is to provide excellence across the board within Rugby League, and provide the best opportunities within the player development pathways.

“Castleford Tigers will take an Academy team to Australia to test themselves against the best in the Southern Hemisphere every two years. The Sea Eagles will accommodate this by making use of their state-of-the-art facilities and securing test matches against local teams.

“Alongside this, both clubs will be in regular contact to identify players who may benefit from a loan deal to Castleford, in order to gain experience in the Super League environment and the Castleford Tigers First Team.

“There will be regular catch-ups with both Academy and First Team staff and sharing of coaching and training methods between clubs, including presentations and coaching sessions along the way. Both clubs will share ideas on how different technologies can benefit player performance and development as well as the sharing and training of software used both in the Sea Eagle and Castleford Tigers set ups.

“We look forward to this fantastic partnership taking shape and the club will provide updates further down the line as to the progress of the relationship.”

Castleford Tigers will face off against Huddersfield Giants in the final game of Magic Weekend today.