CASTLEFORD TIGERS have announced their dual-registration partners for the 2024 Super League season.
The Tigers have linked up with head coach Craig Lingard’s former side Batley Bulldogs for next year.
This agreement will allow Tigers players to play for each club week to week as and when both clubs see fit.
Lingard said: “I think it’s really important for our players if they aren’t playing first team for us, then they’re playing in competitive games elsewhere and I think the best place they can play is the Championship. Batley have proven over the last 3 or 4 season that they’re a top-end Championship club and have been competing up there for the play-offs and last year a Wembley final as well. Hopefully, it will help our players and hopefully help Batley out as well along the way.
“The quality of the Championship and the quality of the competition. I think some of the guys who maybe haven’t played Championship before might not have realised how tough that game is. It’s a little bit slower than what Super League is, and the contact area and wrestle area is sometimes more physical than what Super League is. I think certainly for our younger guys who are still trying to cement themselves in the first team are going out and getting some real good experience in the top-end championship is going to be vital for them and hopefully benefit them and benefit us long term as a club.
“I’ve worked with Mark Moxon closely as an assistant coach to me being a head coach. So, we’re on the same wavelength. I know what he likes and he knows what I like to do as well and I won’t force any players on him and he has to play 2 or 3 of our players. If it doesn’t work for him or if it doesn’t work for Batley that week then it’s not going to be right for our players to go there. But we’ve got a real good working relationship, and we can be open and honest about which players are going to benefit Batley.”
Director of Rugby Operations Danny Wilson also eluded to the relationship the coaching staff at Castleford have with Batley and how the partnership will benefit both parties: “It makes perfect sense given the relationship Craig Lingard has with the club and Mark the Head Coach, I’m really pleased. The group of players we have, we always want to test them at the highest level we can. When they aren’t playing Super League to go out and play at Batley and at that level in a team that competes. I think it’s fantastic for the development of our team and our club. So, I’m really pleased to get the partnership over the line and really looking forward to working with all the staff at Batley.”
“What we’d like to see is players fighting tooth and nail to get into the first team at Cas and some players won’t get in that team who will need game time and they may go to Batley. That doesn’t neglect our reserves programme, there’s a lot of good work that’s gone into our pathway over the last few years which means that our top-end academy boys are really developing physically and they will continue to need challenging and that reserve pathway allows them to be challenged at a high level.”
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