Chris Chester drops hint on Castleford coach identity as timeframe for appointment revealed

Castleford Tigers director of rugby Chris Chester has revealed the club have already had ‘well over’ 20 applicants for the new job, but admits he is looking for a ‘development coach’ who is ‘new and fresh’.

Chester is in interim charge of the Tigers until a replacement for Danny McGuire is found, though training will be led by assistants Brett Delaney and Scott Murrell, who have stayed with the club following McGuire’s exit this week.

Chester is also tasked with finding the club’s new coach, and admitted while he is relaxed about potential timeframes, he would prefer a swifter appointment.

But he dropped a clear hint on the kind of coach he is looking for when addressing the media on Thursday. When asked by Love Rugby League what credentials he was looking for from the next appointment, Chester said: “A development coach that’s got experience in the NRL.”

In a move that may well excite Castleford fans, Chester also insisted his new coach had to have an ‘attacking style’ of play.

He continued: “I want someone pretty new and pretty fresh. An attacking style of rugby. We’ve got some exciting players and we’ve signed some exciting players. We want an attack-minded coach and someone that’s going to build and develop players.

When asked about the selection process, Chester admitted the club have already been inundated with applications.

He said: “I’ll have to put some names together. There have been well over 20 applications already from the UK and overseas.

“It’s my job to look at those applicants and look at streamlining that list and get that to about four or five once I’ve done my homework, and then present to the board. It’s such an important time for this club.”

And Chester admitted there was no clear timeframe on a hiring process.

He said: “If that takes until the end of the season we’ll do that. It’d be ideal for me if it was the next three or four weeks but there’s no pressure to make a rash decision. We’ve got to do what’s right for the club and the kind of coach we want here.”

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