IT’S fair to say that the 2023 Super League season was a dismal one for the Castleford Tigers.
After three different coaches, the West Yorkshire club finally survived relegation by the skin of their teeth, finishing the season with just six wins from 27 games.
Lee Radford went as head coach after just three rounds before his assistant, Andy Last, lasted until the last six games of the season when former London Broncos boss Danny Ward took over.
The Tigers also saw a massive turnover in players with the likes of Adam Milner, Bureta Faraimo and Mahe Fonua all departing throughout the course of 2023.
Another player that left was Daniel Smith, who joined Featherstone Rovers on loan before leaving permanently.
Now, the new Bradford Bulls signing has revealed that he didn’t want to exit his boyhood club, believing it was like he was “forced out” of The Jungle.
“The coaching staff, I don’t think they wanted me there. I didn’t want to leave to be honest, I wanted to finish my career there. It was sad,” Smith told League Express.
“It was tough to take, I had moved to Cas thinking I would be there for my career and I still had a year to run on my contract. I didn’t get a chance to start to the season, then felt left out and I was lacking a bit of confidence. The move got sprung on me really.
“It was like I got forced out to be honest, but that’s just life in rugby league.”
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