By JOHN DAVIDSON and CHRIS JONES
Warrington Wolves assistant coach Andrew Henderson has emerged as one of the leading candidates for the Castleford Tigers head coaching role for 2022.
With Daryl Powell heading to the Halliwell Jones Stadium next year to take over from Steve Price, Castleford are expected to interview candidates for the vacant position this week.
A number of coaches have been linked to the position, included York coach James Ford and former Hull FC coach Lee Radford.
But League Express understands Henderson, a former Tigers hooker, is a strong contender for the job.
Born in England but raised in Australia, the 41-year-old has been an assistant to Price at Warrington since the end of the 2017 season, when he joined the club from London Broncos, where he was the head coach.
There has been no assurance given by the Wolves that Price’s assistants, Henderson and Lee Briers, will remain at the club in 2022 when Powell takes over. There is speculation that Castleford assistant coach Ryan Sheridan will join Powell at Warrington next year.
Henderson played for Castleford between 2005 and 2008 and made 115 appearances for the club.
He retired in 2015 before going into coaching with the Broncos.
The former Scotland international applied for the vacant Salford Red Devils coaching role at the end of last year, which went to Richard Marshall.
Henderson did not reply when approached for comment by League Express.
But if he does take on the job, he might have to do so without the services of Jake Trueman and Peter Mata’utia, who League Express understands the Wolves are ready to target.
Trueman’s contract extends to the end of the 2022 season, while Mata’utia’s contract expires at the end of this season.
At Warrington, Australian stand-off Blake Austin’s contract also expires at the end of this season and if it were not to be renewed, it would mean that the number 6 shirt would be ready for Trueman to step into if the Wolves were to swoop for him.
In 2014 Warrington signed Daryl Clark from Castleford for a transfer fee of £185,000 and it is likely that they would have to beat that figure if they were to secure Trueman.
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