IT can’t be as bad as 2025 for Castleford, can it?

The Tigers won just six games all season with head coach Danny McGuire axed midway through the year following a dismal run of results.

Chris Chester, who had initially been brought in as head of rugby, took over the reins on an interim basis, but the West Yorkshire club limped to the finishing line, with only the beleaguered Salford Red Devils saving Castleford’s blushes of the wooden spoon.

Heading into 2026, there is a renewed optimism around The OneBore Stadium, with new owner Martin Jepson investing on and off the field to pull the Tigers out of the doldrums.

Former St George Illawarra Dragons assistant Ryan Carr has been given the head coaching role after impressing in the interview process, whilst recruitment has seen the Tigers land the likes of NRL stars Mikaele Ravalawa, Blake Taaffe, Tom Weaver and Semi Valemei.

Add into the mix a sprinkling of entrenched Super League players such as Jordan Lane, Jack Ashworth and Darnell McIntosh and suddenly things seem a lot rosier ‘down the lane’.

With such a large group of new signings, the only question that remains is: can Ryan Carr get his new charges to gel as quickly as possible?

One to watch

With the number of signings Castleford have made into double figures, it might have been difficult to choose just one, however, Mikaele Ravalawa comes with a strong NRL pedigree and the power and pace that the Tigers have sorely missed out wide for a number of years. 

With the ability to batter any defence with his no-nonsense running style, the 28-year-old is being tipped for big things.

Talking tactics with Jodie Cunningham

There has been lots of change at Castleford, and with this comes an air of optimism. 

Ryan Carr’s focus on effort areas and being competitive for the full 80 minutes will be music to Tigers fans’ ears with inconsistency and a drop in defensive intensity a regular feature of last season. 

Castleford leaked a lot of points late in games so strong defensive resilience will be vital to Carr’s side moving their way up the table. 

A key difference for Castleford this year could be with the new powerhouse winger Mikaele Ravalawa, a proven try scorer who will no doubt attract a lot of defensive attention to create space and time on the ball for the spine’s new recruits in Blake Taaffe and Tom Weaver. 

Potential milestones

Chris Atkin needs 6 appearances for 300 in his career
Liam Hood needs 7 tries for 100 in his career
George Lawler needs 14 appearances for 100 for Castleford

Squad: 1 Blake Taaffe, 2 Semi Valemei, 3 Zac Cini, 4 Darnell McIntosh, 5 Mikaele Ravalawa, 6 Daejarn Asi, 7 Tom Weaver, 8 Renouf Atoni, 9 Liam Hood, 10 George Lawler, 11 Jordan Lane, 12 Alex Mellor, 13 Joe Stimson, 14 Brock Greacen, 15 Jack Ashworth, 16 Joe Westerman, 17 Chris Atkin, 18 Fletcher Rooney, 19 Brad Singleton, 20 Aiden Doolan, 21 Louis Senior, 22 Jason Qareqare, 23 Krystian Mapapalangi, 24 Jenson Windley, 25 Sam Hall, 26 Alfie Lindsey, 27 Cain Robb, 28 George Hill, 30 Jimmy Beckett

Ins: Brock Greacen (Newcastle K), Blake Taaffe (Canterbury), Mikaele Ravalawa (St George Illawarra), Semi Valemei (North Queensland), Jordan Lane, Jack Ashworth (both Hull FC), Renouf Atoni, Liam Hood (both Wakefield), Darnell McIntosh (Leigh), Tom Weaver (Gold Coast), Aiden Doolan (Barrow), Jimmy Beckett (Featherstone), Krystian Mapapalangi (Wests)

Outs: Tom Amone (Hull KR), Josh Simm (Catalans), Luke Hooley (Bradford), Sam Wood (York), Josh Hodson (Sheffield), George Griffin (Sheffield), Innes Senior (Leigh), Will Tate (Wakefield), Liam Horne (Leigh), Muizz Mustapha (Doncaster), Tex Hoy (released), Jeremiah Simbiken (London), Andy Djeukessi (Newcastle), Ramon Silva (released), Aiden Doolan (Barrow, loan), Akim Metvejev (Batley, loan), George Hill (Keighley, loan)

RLW predicts: 10th

First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 517 (February 2026)