New Castleford Tigers head coach Ryan Carr insists his side will be much more competitive this season, as they hope to put years of disappointment behind them.
The former St George Illawarra Dragons assistant and Featherstone Rovers head coach arrives at the OneBore Stadium with the club undergoing a major rebuild, both on and off the field.
Nine new faces have already been announced alongside Carr, with Brock Greacen, Blake Taaffe, Mikaele Rivalawa, Semi Valemei, Jordan Lane, Jack Ashworth, Renouf Atoni, Liam Hood and Darnell McIntosh all joining the playing squad ranks, with several names also heading out the exit door in recent weeks too.
Away from the field, Castleford are undertaking several improvements to their facilities around the stadium, including building a new training field.
‘That’s ultimately what we’re here for: to make them proud’
This rebuild can’t come soon enough for the Fords’ faithful, either, after some disappointing seasons in Super League. Castleford have found themselves dragged towards the bottom of the table in recent years, finishing 11th in 2023, 10th in 2024 and 11th again this year.
Despite a slump in performances over the past few seasons, Carr insists his side will be much more competitive in 2026.
“I just want to bring excitement to the club and community again,” he told the club’s media. “It has such a rich rugby history, the Castleford town, and I want the fans to have a team that they’re proud of and want to come and get behind.”
“I’ve worked here (in the UK) previously, and I’ve coached at this ground and I know what an intimidating environment it can be when it’s full of Cas fans. Hopefully, we can fill it out, as it’s a massive advantage on a game day.
“The team we’ll run out with will be really competitive, compete hard and do everything they can to play for the fans. That’s ultimately what we’re here for: to make them proud.
“We’ve got a new roster of players and new staff coming in. What we’re going to do throughout pre-season is going to be different to what has been done previously. I spoke to the group before they went on their break about not looking backwards too much; we want to look forward and focus on what we can control. We can’t control what’s happened (in the past), but we can control what we do next.
“I want to make sure the playing group and the staff come together as one and buy into the direction we want to go. It’s going to take everyone to make us successful. It’ll come down to everyone doing their job, everyone committing everything they’ve got and sacrificing everything for the betterment of this club.
“Hopefully, the brand we put out on the field will give the fans something to get excited about. We’ll probably play a different style to what’s been played before, but that’s exciting.”
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