The 2023 season was the

Castleford Tigers The Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England, that compete in the Super League, the top-level professional rugby league club competition in the Northern Hemisphere. The club have competed i ...

' 98th season in the Rugby Football League and their 16th consecutive season in the top flight of English rugby league. The club competed in the 2023 Super League and the 2023 Challenge Cup.

Season overview

Having finished the 2022 season in 7th place, falling short of play-off qualification on the final day, Castleford recruited high-profile signings including Gareth Widdop, Jacob Miller and

Albert Vete Albert Vete ( to, ʻAlipate Vete) (born 24 January 1993) is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a and for Castleford Tigers in the Betfred Super League. He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors and the Melbo ...

. Going into

Lee Radford Lee Radford (born 26 March 1979) is an English professional rugby league coach for the Castleford Tigers. He previously worked in rugby league as the head coach of Hull F.C., in the Super League, from 2013–2020. He is also a former profession ...

's second year as head coach, expectations were mixed: a new-look spine was an enticing prospect, however the Tigers squad also had the league's highest average age. Pre-season preparations were beset by coaching absences and disorganised, leaving the team on the back foot according to senior players

Jordan Turner Jordan Jamal Turner (born 9 January 1989) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or er for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League and the Jamaica national team. He has also represented the England Knights at internationa ...

and Kenny Edwards. In a poor start to the season, Castleford fell to defeats against Hull FC and St Helens. A heavy loss to Wigan in round 3 proved a tipping point, with Radford relieved of his first-team duties on 6 March. Assistant coach

Andy Last Andy Last (born 25 March 1981) is an English professional rugby league coach who is the assistant coach for the England national rugby league team and a former professional rugby league footballer. He is a former head coach of Hull FC and the C ...

took charge of the team on an interim basis, while the club began a recruitment process for a permanent successor. Centre

Jake Mamo Jake Mamo (born 6 June 1994) is a retired Australian former professional rugby league footballer, who most recently played as a er or for the Castleford Tigers in the Betfred Super League. He previously played for the Newcastle Knights in the ...

also departed the squad on 15 March after announcing his retirement. The Tigers registered their first win of the season in round 5 against the Leeds Rhinos, in between miserable losses to Huddersfield and Warrington. They also secured a Rivals Round victory over Wakefield. On 19 April, after overseeing two wins from six matches in charge, Last was appointed full-time head coach on a two-and-a-half-year deal. Castleford came close against Salford and

Hull KR Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challeng ...

, but ultimately entered into a six-match losing streak, including elimination from the

Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...

at the first time of asking in front of a decade-low home crowd. In May,

Craig Lingard Craig Lingard (born 11 December 1977) is an English rugby league coach and former professional rugby league footballer who is the head coach of the Castleford Tigers in the Super League. Lingard played as a for the Batley Bulldogs in the Cham ...

was appointed as an assistant coach to Last. The Magic Weekend provided the occasion of their third victory, with Qareqare's try and Widdop's conversion completing a comeback over Leeds. A large loss to Salford followed, with captain

Paul McShane Paul McShane may refer to: * Paul McShane (footballer) (born 1986), Irish football player * Paul McShane (rugby league) (born 1989), rugby league footballer See also *Paul Shane Paul Shane (born George Frederick Speight; 19 June 1940 – 16 M ...

's season ended by a fractured forearm, although the Tigers consolidated with a win over out-of-form Warrington. Positioned 11th in the table and with bottom placed Wakefield picking up form, another losing streak built up the pressure on Castleford. A host of signings, including Liam Horne,

Charbel Tasipale Charbel Tasipale is a Lebanon international rugby league footballer who plays as a forward or for the Newtown Jets in the NSW Cup. He was released from his contract with Castleford Tigers in June 2024, after returning home on compassionate ...

and

Blake Austin Blake Austin (born 1 February 1991) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Leeds Rhinos in the Betfred Super League. Austin previously played for the Warrington Wolves ( Heritage № 1147), Canberra Raiders, Penrith ...

, aimed to turn the tide back in Cas' favour - however, on 4 August, a heavy loss to Huddersfield sent the Tigers bottom on points difference, with a number of fans staging a protest. That evening, the club announced that Last would depart with immediate effect. On 9 August, Castleford confirmed the appointment of

Danny Ward Daniel Ward may refer to: *Daniel Ward (boxer) (born 1963), South African boxer of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s *Daniel Ward (footballer) (born 1977), former Australian rules footballer with Melbourne Football Club * Daniel P. Ward (1918–1995), Ame ...

as head coach on a deal until the end of the season, with

Dane Dorahy Dane Dorahy () is an Australian rugby league coach and former professional rugby league footballer. He played as a , or in the 1990s and 2000s. He played at club level for Western Suburbs ( Heritage No. 1052) in the NRL, the Wakefield Trinit ...

joining as an assistant. The first fixture under the new staff saw a huge clash at the home of relegation rivals Wakefield, billed as the repeat of the 2006 'Battle of Belle Vue'. The Tigers started as underdogs but fought to a vital 28–12 victory, with

Greg Eden Greg Eden (born 14 November 1990) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a er or for the Castleford Tigers in the Betfred Super League, and the England Knights at international level. He has previously played for Cast ...

scoring a hat-trick. Now with the upper hand, a win against Hull FC in Castleford's final home game all but guaranteed survival. Despite sustaining extremely heavy defeats against Warrington, Wigan and Leeds in the closing rounds, Castleford confirmed an 11th-placed finish, consigning Wakefield to the Championship and bringing a close to a disastrous and disappointing season.

First-team squad

Transfers and loans

Transfers in

Loans in

Transfers out

Loans out

Dual registration

Castleford also agreed dual registration arrangements with the Halifax Panthers in the Championship and the

Midlands Hurricanes The Midlands Hurricanes are a semi-professional rugby league club jointly based in Birmingham and Coventry, West Midlands, England. They were founded as the Coventry Bears in 1998 and entered the third tier of the British rugby league system, ...

in League 1. : ''Sources
RLRKC – Halifax Panthers 2023

RLRKC – Midlands Hurricanes 2023
'

Pre-season friendlies

Super League

Results

League table

Results summary

Challenge Cup

Results

Player statistics

Summary

: ''Source
RLRKC – Castleford Tigers 2023
'

References

External links

Castleford Tigers official website
{{2023 in rugby league Castleford Tigers seasons