CASTLEFORD TIGERS are in a bit of a pickle as things stand.
Following a dreadful start to the 2023 Super League season, previous head coach Lee Radford exited The Jungle to be replaced by his assistant Andy Last.
13 games later, however, and Castleford have just two wins to their name in 2023 so far with the only saving grace being the fact that Wakefield Trinity sit rooted to the bottom of the Super League table pointless.
One of the defeats, in particular, rankled the Tigers fans with a home game against Catalans ending in a 46-22 thrashing.
However, the Dragons were actually 34-6 up at half-time with ex-Castleford head coach Graham Steadman – who is currently plying his trade in rugby union – accusing some players of having “a distinct lack of effort”.
“It is disappointing. As I mentioned earlier, I went to the Catalans game and they got out of their blocks and played really well for the first-half,” Steadman said on the BBC 5 Live podcast.
“But one thing you can always say about a Cas team is they will step up and give it their best and put 100% in and if it’s not working, you just hold your hand up and say, well done to the opposition.
“But that particular night, there was a distinct lack of effort from one or two individuals – it wasn’t good to see.
“Andy’s (Last) got his work cut out and I don’t want to sound too negative, but I think the only saving grace they’ve got at the moment is Wakefield haven’t won a game in the Super League.
“I’m hoping they can turn it round, but they are a little bit depleted. We can always look for excuses but it’s always a big test of the squad to step up.”
