CALLUM WALKER looks back on a wild year at the OneBore Stadium.
THE HOPE
Castleford had appointed a new head coach in Ryan Carr – a man that had come with a great reputation from Down Under – and had a whole host of new signings swelling the ranks. It was supposed to be a new era at The Jungle as owner Martin Jepson continued his transformation of the club off the field, in the hope that Carr could do the same on it. A three-year plan under Carr was spoken about as both head coach and club looked to be in it for the long haul.
THE REALITY
The entire Castleford club and fanbase were brought back down to earth with a bump as the Tigers won just one of their opening six games of the season – a 34-8 victory against bottom side Huddersfield Giants. They would go on to win a mere eight games as a slide to second bottom on the Super League ladder and the loss of their head coach, Ryan Carr, summed up a miserable season. Carr, according to the club, departed for ‘personal reasons’ after initial claims of him being suspended were dismissed. Director of rugby Chris Chester fronted up to the media thereafter, before ex-Huddersfield coach Luke Robinson was brought in an assistant in the latter few games of the campaign.
BEST PLAYERS
Based on the form of the first half of the campaign, Krystian Mapapalangi would have taken this accolade quite easily. Jason Qareqare also enjoyed a fine return from injury, scoring 19 tries in 22 appearances with these two establishing a formidable partnership down Castleford’s left-edge attack. Mid-season signings Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e and Jack Brown brought much-needed energy to a languishing Tigers side, while George Lawler, as always, was Mr Consistent.
IN QUOTES
“It’s not surprised me about certain individuals. There’s a lot of learning going on for me and as a collective group. Certain individuals, when it got hard, gave up. I know who they are and they won’t continue, put it that way. I’ve said it many times before, we are very fortunate to do what we do for a living and I will address it in my own way.” – Ryan Carr after Castleford’s 48-6 loss to Wakefield.
“I am sorry that Ryan Carr has left the club, but I wish him and his family well for their future. We have had a difficult set of circumstances to deal with and unfortunately not been in a position to provide more information to the fans. However, our actions have been, and always will be, in the best interests of the club. It has been frustrating to listen to media hysteria without being able to comment, but we have had to do the right thing by the club.” – Owner Martin Jepson speaks to the Castleford fans for the first time following Ryan Carr’s exit.
“I felt really sorry for the Castleford fans. I’ve spoken to the lads, and I think that they did them a disservice. Those fans that were singing and cheering, and applauding the players, we did them a disservice because it just wasn’t good enough.” – New Castleford assistant coach Luke Robinson takes to the media after the Tigers’ last game of 2026 ends in a 48-16 defeat to Huddersfield.
IN NUMBERS
19 – tries scored by Jason Qareqare in 22 appearances, with his centre partner Krystian Mapapalangi grabbing ten.
8,152 – Castleford’s average home attendance in what was a difficult season for supporters.
7 – the number of head coaches Castleford have now had since Daryl Powell left at the end of 2021, which will of course become 8 in the near future.
HIGHLIGHTS
There weren’t many but Castleford’s 24-14 away win at Wigan in Round 8 was definitely up there. A 24-18 success at York and a 30-10 home victory over St Helens in Rounds 11 and 12 saw Castleford register back-to-back wins for the first time in two years, whilst a remarkable 36-34 comeback win over local rivals Leeds – who were top at the time – demonstrated the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the Tigers in 2026. Continued work off the field saw the club establish a new 4G pitch as owner Martin Jepson continued to make big investments in the club.
LOWLIGHTS
A 72-6 drubbing by Warrington in Round 6 left many people connected with the club scratching their heads – including then coach Ryan Carr. A 20-134 scoreline in favour of arch rivals Wakefield over three fixtures was a bitter pill to swallow, whilst the 48-16 thrashing by Huddersfield on the last day of the campaign summed up the Tigers’ season. The whole debacle surrounding Carr’s absence and subsequent exit hit the fanbase hard and, from then on, it seemed as though all parties were desperate for the season to end.
LOOKING AHEAD
Castleford still don’t have a head coach for 2027 and fans are still unhappy about being kept in the dark over Ryan Carr’s departure from The Jungle. New candidates for the number one role have ranged from ex-St Helens coach Paul Rowley to former Hull KR head coach Justin Morgan. But the Tigers must get the appointment right this time, though the appointments of Luke Robinson and Simon Grix as assistant coaches is interesting, to say the least, without a head coach to lead them.
However, there is no way that Castleford fans will stand for another year of mediocrity and new NRL signings Damien Cook, Mat Feagai and Tyrell Sloan will go some way to enhancing the club’s culture. The Tigers have also lost the likes of Daejarn Asi, Joe Westerman, Cain Robb and Sam Hall, but established Super League veterans Robbie Mulhern and Mason Lino have joined.
The club is still very confident of a Grade A rating on the IMG gradings, which would be a silver lining on what has been a dismal cloud in 2026.