CASTLEFORD TIGERS head coach Craig Lingard has laid out his realistic plan for the next five years at the West Yorkshire club.
At present, the Tigers sit in third bottom of the Super League table, but the difference between the start of the 2024 season to now has been drastic.
For Lingard, the plan was always to get the top of the bottom four in his first full season in charge, but that the aims will continue to grow moving forward.
In his weekly pre-match press conference, the Castleford boss said: “We wanted to get to the top of the bottom four this season, then we want to try and get sixth to eighth next season and if we have a decent year then we could snag that play-off place and then year three we are looking to seriously challenge for a top six spot.
“Year four or five we are hoping to be up there where financially things could change and we could bring in more marquee players with younger players coming through which would develop us a lot more as a team.
“We’ve not got that quick fix, we haven’t got the money to go out and buy stars now and I think that’s the wrong way anyway.
“We want people to be here for years to come.”
At present, after two losses in a row, Lingard wants to see more energy from his side following defeats to Leigh Leopards and Salford Red Devils.
“I want to see a bit more energy, we have got seven games left so we are coming up to the latter end of the season.
“A lot of these games are decided on who’s got the most energy and a lot of these players have been training since November.
“Regardless of what job you are doing, nine or ten months without a break will physically and mentally drain you.”
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