Three players who will captain Castleford within the next decade

Being a captain takes all sorts of leadership skills; vocality, communication and an inspiring character are all vital elements of leading a team.

First up in this series is the Castleford Tigers, whose current skipper Michael Shenton is approaching retirement age.

But, just which three players would take the Tigers’ mantle within the next decade?

Paul McShane

He may be the wrong side of 30, but Paul McShane could go until he is 40 – he just is that good and physically fit. Since joining the Tigers way back in 2015, the hooker has gone on to become a wonderful player and the Tigers’ talisman. The Man of Steel in 2020, McShane is going from strength-to-strength in a Castleford jersey and he looks like the perfect candidate to take over from Shenton when the centre retires.

Jake Trueman

Again, like Richardson, Jake Trueman has all the qualities to make it as skipper of a Super League side. Though perhaps less outspoken than Richardson, Trueman is nonetheless a commanding figure in the middle of the field. Regularly seen putting his teammates through their paces and barking out orders, the Bradford academy graduate would certainly not shy away from taking the armband. And, at just 22 years of age, it is definitely something tangible within the next decade.

Jacques O’Neill

A true warrior in the heart of the Castleford pack, 21-year-old Jacques O’Neill has all the attributes and more to make it big in Super League. Never one to shy away from confrontation – as evidenced in his spat with Gareth Ellis in 2019 – the loose-forward/hooker would make a tremendous skipper one day. Despite his small stature, O’Neill take the game to his opponents in both attack and defence, setting a fine example to the rest of his teammates.