CASTLEFORD TIGERS head coach Andy Last has admitted that he may have to let some of his Castleford players go “if they carry on performing poorly” after another loss in Super League.
Last’s men went down 12-7 to Hull KR on Friday night despite leading 6-0 at half-time and the current England assistant felt that his side are not mentally tough enough right now.
Following the loss, Last admitted that he went in the dressing room to give his players “a dressing down.”
“The dressing down was around the manner in how they scored the points and how we are mentally not coming up with the right plays when we are fatigued,” Last explained.
“We need to show more mental toughness.
“We created some opportunities in the last 15 minutes but our passing was just off and created a few mistakes. There was a little bit of fatigue but the best teams nail those opportunities.
“We ended up creating a few opportunities to fly down the sideline and we are not just not nailing the timing or the pass just isn’t in front. They are really fine margins and you’ve got to nail those and we didn’t.”
It was Last’s first game as the permanent head coach after being tasked by the Castleford board to take the club forward for the next two-and-a-half years and he believes that his words meant more to the players now that his future has been resolved and that he also decides their fate.
“The game felt different for me in that my words carried a little bit more weight,” Last continued.
“They know now I am the master of those players’ fate. If they carry on performing poorly and losing then there is every chance I will say they are no longer part of Castleford Tigers.
“May is the contract time and a lot of those players are looking for renewals and looking to be retained. Every time we are getting beat it makes it difficult to keep them.”