Sheffield Eagles head coach Craig Lingard has made it clear that he will not be leaving the Championship club any time soon, despite several Super League coaching vacancies having opened up.
At present, there are officially four Super League head coaching roles vacant either currently or for 2026, however, it’s expected that Steve McNamara will soon be confirmed as the next Hull FC head coach.
That still leaves three vacancies, including at Huddersfield Giants and Catalans Dragons who don’t currently have a head coach. Lingard has confirmed his commitment to the project at Sheffield Eagles, whilst also speaking more openly on a possible future return to Super League.
Appearing on BBC Radio Leeds, Lingard explained that he sees Sheffield as a two to three year project that he’s keen to be a part of when asked about those vacant coaching roles.
“I’m enjoying Sheffield at the minute,” he said, adding: “I think there’s a project at Sheffield. I’m getting my teeth into that. We’re not where we need to be as a club and I think it’s a long-term project and something I’m really excited about.”
On the prospect of a Super League return at some point in the future, he said: “I’ve done it, I’ve been there at Super League. It’s not the be all and end all. I’m not desperate to get back there.
“If an opportunity does at some point come for me to get back there then I might consider it but it’s not the be all and end all for me.
“I just want to be happy with my coaching, happy with doing what I’m doing and happy in my family life as well.”
Craig Lingard opens up on Super League exit
Lingard was also questioned on his time at Castleford Tigers, which was ultimately cut short after just one year, with Danny McGuire hired to replace him.
Asked if he could or should have done anything different, Lingard admitted that his belief in speaking his mind and being honest about the club’s situation is something that perhaps proved costly.
He said: “Maybe toed the line a little bit. I’ve never been a yes man, I’ll always speak my mind, maybe to a detriment.
“I think I’m maybe a journalist’s dream really because if you ask me a question it’s almost like a bit of tourettes. I know what I should say and what I shouldn’t say and I always come out with what I shouldn’t say.
“I’ve got to be honest with everything I do and me toeing the line or me giving a politician’s answer is not me, so I wouldn’t go back and change anything.”
Offering more of that honesty, Lingard recalled the situation at Castleford which effectively saw the club take money from the playing budget and pump it into off-field projects to ensure they earned a higher IMG grade and thus Super League status – something that Lingard does not blame the club for.
On his time in charge, he said: “You take £700,000 off a salary cap and I think we debuted 19 players that season. At the time, Castleford’s Super League status was in jeopardy so they were spending that money, quite rightly, off the field to safeguard the long-term future of Castleford Tigers.
“That’s what they needed to do. The club play such a huge part in that community, it’s the lifeblood of the community… At that point in time with IMG, there was no guarantee that they could drop out and come straight back in so it was massively important that the club needed to do that.”
