CASTLEFORD TIGERS head coach Craig Lingard has explained Danny Richardson’s loan move to Hull KR.
Richardson has made the season-long loan move to Craven Park with the halfback out of contract at the end of the 2024 Super League season.
And Lingard has explained why the move has come about.
“Danny is in the last year of his contract and he is wanting to go out and play to secure his future next year and beyond and an opportunity came up at Hull KR,” Lingard said.
“He hasn’t been in our team recently and with the way that Rowan has played recently, he has got that halfback spot.
“It means that Danny is our of the game and with the cover we have now got with Paul McShane and Tex Hoy able to drop in and then we’ve got two kids in the academy that have been training with the first-team too.
“Successful teams have got young players in their team that have come through their system. It’s also cheaper to develop your own players through your system than bringing in players from other teams too.
“With us, the cover we have got and the fact that Danny needs to go out and play and earn a contract, we felt it was the right thing to do.”
The exit of Richardson doesn’t necessarily mean that the Tigers won’t go out and buy someone for the sake of it.
“It frees up our budget but it doesn’t mean we will get a player because the market is what it is. There are limited players out there and those that are out there might have five or six teams chasing them.
“I think the market will open up for 2026 rather than 2025. There’s no point bringing people in that are free and available. They’ve got to add to us.
“We are constantly looking for people out there, are they going to strengthen us short-term or long-term?”
So how does Lingard sell the club to potentially interested players?
“We’ve got to sell the project that we have got. Our message to any player is that if they want to challenge for the title next year then they won’t be coming here but we have got to try and sell them the project we’ve got which is more long-term.
“We are excited about what we are doing here with the ground redevelopment and the kids we have got coming through. We are looking at players that want to be a part of something.
“It’s not a short-term fix, they want to grow something and that’s the bigger picture for us. A lot of clubs are speaking to players we are speaking to.
“Sometimes you miss out on players because they want that immediate success.”
Click here to get the digital edition of League Express
Click here to subscribe to the print edition of League Express
League Express is also widely available from local newsagents across the north of England.
