WIND the clock back six years ago and Castleford Tigers were gearing themselves up for a shot at the Super League Grand Final.
A whirlwind season – in which Castleford had finished top for the first time in their history – ended in heartbreak at Old Trafford, with the Tigers going down 24-6 to local rivals Leeds Rhinos in the showpiece event.
That 2017 season was one which all Tigers fans hoped the club would kick on from and continue challenging with the big boys at the right end of the Super League table.
However, it’s been a steady decline over the years with Castleford escaping relegation by just four points in 2023.
For Castleford’s director of rugby, Danny Wilson, he is just glad the season is over after a challenging year.
“I’m really relieved the season is over, I feel like we have been waiting for it since round three after Lee (Radford) left. Obviously Lasty (Andy Last) had a go and it’s been a long season – not just the coaching – but a lot of things have happened. It feels like everything started snowballing,” Wilson told The COYFCast podcast.
“I’ve been in the post six months and now I feel like I can have an impact.”
Looking back to 2017 and the years that followed, Wilson believes that there were a number of key areas which led to the Tigers’ decline.
“The problem with success like in 2017, the player pool that got you there, you tend to look at their retention and they get paid more money and contracts become longer.
“There are a few elements to it, I think there is a time for everybody’s journey where change is sometimes better. I think there were a lot of players in and around that era that probably needed to be changed or to retire. I think the retention of that group meant those players were kept a year or two long for them and the club.
“Some of the recruitment decisions over that period has had an impact. I think you need to have a good blend of personnel in your playing group talent with young, talented and hard-working and then experienced players that can lead the culture. We were very top heavy and at times that can impact on the environment.
“I think the way the club has looked to pump as much money as it can into the first-team environment and get that success, that might be short-lived but I think we need a long-term vision to be successful forever. You want to be celebrating a Grand Final win for 12 months and then another one after that. You don’t want to look back to five years ago at what you could have won.”
The Tigers’ chief was keen to explain that sustained success will take a number of years.
“That won’t happen overnight, it could take 12 or 24 months to be knocking on those doors. That might take three or four years before we win one and carry on winning one but when you put a good foundation in place you will achieve success longer-term rather than putting your eggs in one basket.”
LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST HERE: The COYFCast podcast.
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