ALEX MELLOR will captain Castleford Tigers this season after receiving the role from new head coach Ryan Carr.
The back-rower was made skipper by interim boss Chris Chester midway through last season, succeeding previous coach Danny McGuire’s appointment Sam Wood, who is now at York Knights.
And Carr has opted to retain his leadership despite a significant off-season transformation at Castleford including 13 new signings.
Mellor, 31, played for Bradford Bulls, Huddersfield Giants and Leeds Rhinos before joining the Tigers in June 2022.
He’s made 89 appearances for Castleford so far, all but one as a starter, and scored 15 tries.
Meanwhile, new Tigers back Semi Valemei will miss Saturday’s pre-season game against St Helens after suffering a hamstring strain in training.