Castleford Tigers are back and play-offs aren’t out of sight
Castleford Tigers were excellent in their win over St Helens.
Good times haven’t been too forthcoming at Castleford Tigers in recent years. But maybe, just maybe, they’re on their way back.
When the Tigers won the League Leaders’ Shield in 2017, it felt like they were a club ready for a period at the top. But succession planning at Castleford was an abject failure. They have gone six years without making the play-offs and there has been very little to suggest things are changing for the better.
That is, until now.
It’s hard to recall a better Tigers performance than the one they produced on Saturday as they, put simply, battered St Helens. Much was made of Saints’ performance, but Castleford were excellent.
Their season has been a little bit all over the place. Brilliant one week, spineless the next. They conceded 72 to Warrington, but went and won at Wigan. That result came in between awful home performances against Wakefield Trinity and Hull FC. There has rarely between anything in between with the Tigers this season.
But for all the bad, there’s been enough good to suggest Castleford have landed on something with Ryan Carr. Yes, they’ve been painfully inconsistent, but when they’re good, they’re good.
And it just feels like a club getting its act together, too. Turning Castleford around was always going to be like turning an oil tanker, but the club has done some good things. Their stadium clearly still needs plenty of work but they’ve tidied it up. They’ve been aggressive in the recruitment market, signing players for next year but also pushing them forward for this year too.
They’re working on new facilities and pitches to try and aid injury prevention. They’re putting more focus on their academy setups. The issues have always been clear at Castleford but the dfference is now, they’re attacking them head on.
What can Castleford achieve this season? If they could ensure they produce performances regularly like the one they did against Saints, the play-offs are not out of reach, they’re only four points adrift. At this stage, you’d have to say their up-and-down nature makes that prospect feel unlikely.
But long-term, the Tigers finally seem to be out of their rut. There’s little doubt there will be bumps in the road, and most likely plenty of them. But at least their fans are being given something to be excited about now.
It’s a long time since they’ve been able to say that.
