CRAIG LINGARD was in quite the unique situation during the 2023 season.
Despite being head coach of Championship Batley Bulldogs, Lingard was also appointed assistant coach of Castleford Tigers in May as the latter aimed to stave off relegation from Super League.
It’s fair to say that the Tigers didn’t have the best start or end to the 2023 season, winning just six from 27 games as Lee Radford left, Andy Last was sacked and Danny Ward appointed as head coach all within the year.
Looking back on the season, Lingard stressed that there is a lot for the Tigers to work on – but that the club is aiming to control what they can control.
“I think it’s a whole club review. I’ve come back from Castleford this morning and we had a full staff review with what’s gone on last season and where we need to be next season, what we can work on and what we can change,” Lingard told League Express.
“We are not a team that will have the money that Wigan, St Helens and Warrington have got, it’s about working with what we’ve got and how we can control that.
“There are certain variables we can control which we didn’t control as well as we should have, but we need to make sure we do that going forward. That’s outside the financial aspect and certain recruitment aspects because we won’t be fishing in certain ponds that other clubs are.”
In terms of recruitment, Lingard is keen to bring in younger players that are able to train and play with a greater load, as well as good people.
“We have to go make sure we nail our recruitment and bring the right sort of people in, lower the age bracket and get more people on the training field to get more work into them and more output from them on game day,” Lingard continued.
“We talk about ‘Classy Cas’ and that’s maybe not referred to how we play on the field, it’s more to do with how we act off it. How as a group of staff and players we are made to feel and how the supporters are made to feel from the performances and attitude of the staff and players.
“There are certain aspects we can change in terms of that mentality and environment. Culture is a word that is thrown out there quite easily, but standards and expectations we put on ourselves will be greater next season.”
The Tigers have already begun their recruitment in earnest for 2024 with the likes of Nixon Putt, Sylvester Namo, Sam Wood and Josh Simm joining.
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