CASTLEFORD TIGERS head coach Danny McGuire has admitted that two of his stars “should have played” against Catalans Dragons following his side’s 26-4 dismal loss on Saturday afternoon.
McGuire left out Joe Westerman and Dan Okoro – with the former struggling with illness and the latter enduring a niggle in the run up to the home fixture.
The Tigers were second best throughout against their French opponents, as they trailed 14-0 at half-time before conceding another two tries in the second-half with Sam Tomkins running riot for the visitors.
A short turnaround beckons for McGuire and his men, with Hull FC rocking up to The Jungle on Thursday buoyed by a narrow 16-12 victory over Wakefield Trinity.
Ahead of that game, the Castleford boss has admitted that he made the two ‘bad calls’ in leaving out Westerman and Okoro, hinting that the two men will return on Thursday night.
“Hopefully Joe Westerman will be back. I made a call not to play him because he had not been training – I probably should have played him.
“Dan Okoro had a bit of a niggle, too, and didn’t quite do what we needed him to do in training. He potentially could have played – that was a bad call as well.”
The Tigers have secured just one victory during the 2025 Super League season so far – and even that was against the much-depleted Salford Red Devils.
Castleford currently sit third bottom on the Super League ladder, with Salford and Huddersfield Giants below them.