CASTLEFORD have a new owner in Martin Jepson and he has already shown his willingness to make big decisions.
The removal of Craig Lingard, who did a reasonable job in challenging circumstances last season as the Tigers finished tenth, came as a shock.
His replacement was less of a surprise, as Danny McGuire stepped up from being the assistant to take on his first head-coach role.
There is no guarantee of success under a rookie boss but McGuire was a strong and successful leader on the pitch at Leeds and has been backed to be the same off it at Castleford.
McGuire faces a similar challenge to Lingard last season, one to lift Castleford up the table in spite of a squad which is, on paper, inferior to most others in Super League.
Recruits like halfback Daejarn Asi, back Zac Cini and hooker Judah Rimbu may add some sparkle to a workmanlike side but don’t inspire confidence that a play-off push is imminent.
Watch out for… Parties on the streets of Port Moresby. While Papua New Guinea await their NRL team in 2028, they already have a Super League one forming in Castleford, where the off-season arrivals of Judah Rimbu (right) and backrower Jeremiah Simbiken take the Tigers up to four Kumul internationals. They join Liam Horne (a hooker like Rimbu, and one of Castleford’s best players last season) and prop Sylvester Namo, who both impressed in the recent Pacific Championships.
Fan’s eye view… After the disappointment of 2023 and the reset of 2024, the 2025 season has brought a sense of renewed hope for Castleford fans. Although a bottom-half finish is still the likeliest scenario, the ceiling of the 2025 Tigers seems significantly higher. Daejarn Asi and Judah Rimbu will add some real spark to a spine that began to take shape in ‘24 and the new coaching department may trigger the biggest improvement of all. ‘Class and Steel’ is a motto that adorns the inner sanctum of Wheldon Road and there may not be a duo in the game that embody those words more than Danny McGuire and Brett Delaney. (By Ross Williams, host of The COYFCast.)
2025 squad: 1 Tex Hoy, 2 Jason Qareqare, 3 Zac Cini, 4 Sam Wood, 5 Innes Senior, 6 Daejarn Asi, 7 Rowan Milnes, 8 Liam Watts, 9 Liam Horne, 10 George Lawler, 11 Jeremiah Simbiken, 12 Alex Mellor, 13 Joe Westerman, 14 Judah Rimbu, 15 George Griffin, 16 Cain Robb, 17 Luke Hooley, 18 Josh Hodson, 19 Sam Hall, 20 Muizz Mustapha, 21 Sylvester Namo, 22 Louis Senior, 23 Fletcher Rooney, 24 Josh Simm, 25 Will Tate, 26 George Hill, 27 Jenson Windley, 28 Akim Matvejev, 29 Alfie Howell, 30 Daniel Sarbah, 32 Woody Walker, 33 Sam Darley, 34 Jacob Hall, 35 Dan Okoro.
Rugby League World predicts: 11th
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 505 (February 2025)
