2024 Castleford Tigers Season
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The 2024 season was the
Castleford Tigers The Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England. They play their home games at Wheldon Road (currently known as the Mend-A-Hose Jungle for sponsorship reasons) and compete in the Super League, t ...
' 99th season in the
Rugby Football League The Rugby Football League (RFL) is the governing body for rugby league in England. Founded in 1895 as the Northern Rugby Football Union following 22 clubs resigning from the Rugby Football Union, it changed its name in 1922 to the Rugby Footb ...
and their 17th consecutive season in the top flight of English rugby league. The club competed in the 2024 Super League and the
2024 Challenge Cup The 2024 Challenge Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2024 Betfred Challenge Cup, is the 123rd edition of the Challenge Cup, the main rugby league knockout cup tournament in British rugby league, run by the Rugby Football League (RFL). I ...
. This was Castleford's first and only season under
Craig Lingard Craig Lingard (born 11 December 1977) is an English rugby league coach and former professional rugby league footballer. He is the head-coach of Sheffield Eagles in the RFL Championship. Lingard played as a for the Batley Bulldogs in the Champ ...
as head coach. The team was jointly captained by
Paul McShane Paul McShane may refer to: * Paul McShane (footballer) (born 1986), Irish football player * Paul McShane (rugby league) (born 1989), rugby league footballer See also *Paul Shane Paul Shane (19 June 1940 – 16 May 2013) was a British actor ...
and Joe Westerman. They finished the Super League season in 10th place.


Kits

Supplier: Oxen
Main sponsor: CBR Engineering


Season overview

After a poor 2023 season where they were drawn into a relegation scrap with
Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...
, Castleford's 11th-placed finish narrowly secured a position in the Super League for 2024. The head coach role had been left vacant after the expiry of Danny Ward's short-term deal. On 17 October 2023, it was announced that former assistant
Craig Lingard Craig Lingard (born 11 December 1977) is an English rugby league coach and former professional rugby league footballer. He is the head-coach of Sheffield Eagles in the RFL Championship. Lingard played as a for the Batley Bulldogs in the Champ ...
had been appointed, becoming the club's fourth permanent head coach within 12 months.
Danny McGuire Daniel Phillip McGuire (born 6 December 1982) is an English rugby league coach and former professional rugby league footballer who is the head coach of the Castleford Tigers in the Super League. He played as a or and spent the majority of h ...
additionally joined from
Hull KR Hull Kingston Rovers (often abbreviated to Hull KR) are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Craven Park, Hull, Craven Park and compete in Super League, the top tier of B ...
as the new assistant coach. Joe Westerman was named co-captain alongside
Paul McShane Paul McShane may refer to: * Paul McShane (footballer) (born 1986), Irish football player * Paul McShane (rugby league) (born 1989), rugby league footballer See also *Paul Shane Paul Shane (19 June 1940 – 16 May 2013) was a British actor ...
. In the offseason, the playing squad underwent a large turnover with a focus on reducing average age. Departures included mainstays Nathan Massey and Greg Eden along with senior players such as
Gareth Widdop Gareth Edward Widdop (born 12 March 1989) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Halifax Panthers in the RFL Championship. Widdop played at club level for the Melbourne Storm and the St. George Illawarra ...
, Niall Evalds and Jordan Turner. Under the new IMG grading system, league status would no longer be solely dependent on table position, so the team operated with a reduced playing budget as the club prioritised off-field improvements. Accordingly, the Tigers were widely predicted to compete with newly promoted
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
for the '
wooden spoon A wooden spoon is a Kitchen utensil, utensil commonly used in food preparation. In addition to its culinary uses, wooden spoons also feature in folk art and culture. History The word ''spoon'' derives from an ancient word meaning a chip of woo ...
'. On the eve of the season, their proposals for an upgrade of Wheldon Road were approved by the council. Castleford began the season poorly, falling to defeats against highly-rated
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...
,
Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...
and
Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...
in the opening rounds. After a heavy loss to
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confl ...
in round 4, Lingard said the team's capitulation was unacceptable and moved poor performers to the reserves. The team showed improved resilience despite defeat in the following round at
Catalans Catalans ( Catalan, French and Occitan: ''catalans''; ; ; or ) are a Romance ethnic group native to Catalonia, who speak Catalan. The current official category of "Catalans" is that of the citizens of Catalonia, a nationality and autono ...
, and they saw off
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
side
Batley Batley is a market town in the Kirklees district, in West Yorkshire, England, south-west of Leeds, north-west of Wakefield and Dewsbury, south-east of Bradford and north-east of Huddersfield, in the Heavy Woollen District. In 2011, the popu ...
to advance in the Challenge Cup. However, they were unable to break down
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
in round 6, with first-half control not being converted into points by their blunt attack; this sixth consecutive league loss marked Castleford's worst start to a season since 2004. The Tigers secured their first league win of the year against
Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...
in round 7, with Innes Senior notably scoring four tries. However, with injury problems mounting and fifteen players unavailable, Castleford crashed out of the cup with a 54-point loss to
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...
. In April, the club announced a host of midseason signings including Tex Hoy, Louis Senior and Corey Hall. Another league defeat to Wigan was followed by an impressive 40–0 win against
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, and a late comeback against
Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staffor ...
secured a thrilling draw in round 10. Castleford's hit-and-miss performances continued over the following weeks, when they were trounced by St Helens, won against table rivals
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...
(with Hoy scoring the club's try of the season), and were comfortably beaten by
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
. June saw an upturn in the team's performances, with battling displays in consecutive games against the eventual top two,
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...
and
Hull KR Hull Kingston Rovers (often abbreviated to Hull KR) are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Craven Park, Hull, Craven Park and compete in Super League, the top tier of B ...
- only beaten by one penalty goal and one drop goal respectively. Centre
Sam Wood Samuel Grosvenor Wood (July 10, 1883 – September 22, 1949) was an American film director and producer who is best known for having directed such Hollywood hits as ''A Night at the Opera (film), A Night at the Opera'', ''A Day at the Races (fi ...
's impressive form earned him an call up, but he suffered an injury on international duty that ruled him out for the season. In round 16, Castleford edged a low-scoring affair to earn an away win against St Helens for only the second time in 34 years. They then duly beat bottom side
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, before the standout performance of the year against
Catalans Catalans ( Catalan, French and Occitan: ''catalans''; ; ; or ) are a Romance ethnic group native to Catalonia, who speak Catalan. The current official category of "Catalans" is that of the citizens of Catalonia, a nationality and autono ...
secured a third straight victory with two tries from Liam Horne. Lingard said the team was "unrecognisable" from the start of the year, having surpassed their 2023 points tally by July. Their streak was brought to an end by two hard-fought defeats at the hands of play-off hopefuls
Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...
and
Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staffor ...
. In round 21, Castleford sustained their heaviest defeat in three months in their visit to table-topping
Hull KR Hull Kingston Rovers (often abbreviated to Hull KR) are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Craven Park, Hull, Craven Park and compete in Super League, the top tier of B ...
. They went into their
Magic Weekend The Magic Weekend (also known as the Betfred Magic Weekend for sponsorship reasons) is an annual event organised by the Rugby Football League in which an entire round of Super League matches is played over a weekend at a single stadium to promot ...
fixture against
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confl ...
just a point adrift of their 9th-placed opponents, however a meagre loss diminished hopes of moving up the table. Lingard began to rotate the team in the remaining rounds, experimenting with different combinations and giving minutes to academy players like Jenson Windley, Fletcher Rooney and Akim Matvejev. A flat defeat to
Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...
was followed by a high-scoring win against
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...
, where Rowan Milnes notched 19 points. Castleford fell to substantial losses against
Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staffor ...
, St Helens, and
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confl ...
in the final three rounds of the season, dampening the improved mood around the club, although their 10th-placed finish represented a marginal improvement on the previous campaign.
Alex Mellor Alex Mellor (born 24 September 1994) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a forward or for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League. He has previously played for the Bradford Bulls in the Super League and the Ch ...
was named Tigers Player of the Year, and Liam Horne was voted Players' Player of the Year.


First-team squad


Transfers and loans


Transfers in


Loans in


Transfers out


Loans out


Dual registration

Castleford also agreed dual registration partnerships with
Batley Bulldogs The Batley Bulldogs are an English professional rugby league club in Batley, West Yorkshire, who play in the Championship. Batley were one of the original twenty-two rugby football clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895. ...
in the
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
and
Newcastle Thunder The Newcastle Thunder is a professional rugby league club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It was founded in 2000 as Gateshead Thunder, after the merger of the original Gateshead Thunder into Hull F.C. in 1999. The Thunder were based in ...
in League One. : ''Sources
RLRKC – Batley Bulldogs 2024

RLRKC – Newcastle Thunder 2024
'


Pre-season friendlies

Castleford's first fixture of 2024 was against
Keighley Cougars The Keighley Cougars are a professional rugby league club from Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Cougar Park and compete in RFL League 1, League One, the third tier of British rugby league system, British rugby le ...
, announced in November 2023. They also faced the
London Broncos The London Broncos are a professional rugby league club based in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, England. They play their home games at Plough Lane and currently compete in the RFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of British rugby le ...
and the
Huddersfield Giants The Huddersfield Giants are an English professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. Huddersfield play their home games at the John Smiths Stadium and compete in Super League, the top tier of British rugby league sy ...
, both announced in December.


Super League


Results

On 23 November 2023, the Super League fixtures were announced. All fixtures are subject to change, and matches from round 16 onwards may be rescheduled for broadcast on
Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...
.


League table


Challenge Cup

As a
Super League Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
club, Castleford entered the
2024 Challenge Cup The 2024 Challenge Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2024 Betfred Challenge Cup, is the 123rd edition of the Challenge Cup, the main rugby league knockout cup tournament in British rugby league, run by the Rugby Football League (RFL). I ...
in the Sixth Round, scheduled to be played in late March. In the Sixth Round draw on 11 March, they drew the
Batley Bulldogs The Batley Bulldogs are an English professional rugby league club in Batley, West Yorkshire, who play in the Championship. Batley were one of the original twenty-two rugby football clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895. ...
. In the draw for the quarter-finals on 25 March, Castleford were paired against the
Wigan Warriors The Wigan Warriors is an English professional rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club competes in the Super League, the top tier of the British rugby league system. Formed in 1872, the club is a founding member of the Ru ...
.


Player statistics


Summary

: ''Source
RLRKC – Castleford Tigers 2024
'


Appearances

: ''Sources
RLRKC – Castleford Tigers 2024


'


References


External links


Castleford Tigers official website
{{2024 in rugby league Castleford Tigers seasons
Castleford Tigers The Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England. They play their home games at Wheldon Road (currently known as the Mend-A-Hose Jungle for sponsorship reasons) and compete in the Super League, t ...
Castleford Tigers The Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England. They play their home games at Wheldon Road (currently known as the Mend-A-Hose Jungle for sponsorship reasons) and compete in the Super League, t ...