Explaining Castleford Tigers’ recruitment plans after Liam Hood acquisition

Castleford Tigers look set to add another senior player to their squad in 2026, with Wakefield Trinity hooker Liam Hood set for a move to the Super League club.

A move that was first revealed by Love Rugby League earlier this week, it may well come across as a move that surprises Tigers supporters on first glance. Hood will turn 34 before the start of next season, which has led to some consternation among Castleford fans.

But there is rationale behind the decision to bring Hood – and other players such as Jack Ashworth – through the door in 2026, and it is part of a wider, long-term recruitment strategy being implemented at the club.

Sport in the modern age now revolves around success being instant, and supporters are less prepared to wait for something to build more than ever before. That, on one hand, is entirely understandable given how it is they who essentially keep the club alive with their income.

But Castleford are in the very early stages of what will have to be a rebuild delivered over two or three years. It is impossible to do that rebuild in one off-season and like it or not, this is effectively year zero of that rebuild once again for the Tigers.

Everything that was done in preparation for 2025 will have to be ripped up. The coach has gone, the signings have not worked and it is clear there is a desire from the Tigers’ board to start all over again. That is led by the appointment of Chris Chester, and whoever the club’s new head coach is.

There will be a significant turnover of players this winter at Castleford. Many of those will be off-contract, but a good chunk will also be under contract, too.

No club can go from lingering in the lower reaches of Super League for several years to instantly challenging within 12 months; progress can only be incremental given the scale of the turnover required. Similarly, no club can release 25 players and sign another 25. It has to happen in phases.

And that is where players like Hood come into the picture. At the age of 34 next year, he will tick one box that Chester and Castleford’s hierarchy believe is badly lacking: leadership. While Chester did not exactly admit they were in talks to sign Hood this week, some of his quotes on the hooker were telling.

In one breath, Chester was talking about how Castleford’s squad was too quiet and had no real leaders in it. Then, he admitted in the clips he’s watched of Hood, he had been impressed with how he speaks in an around Wakefield’s players.

That is not a coincidence. Hood will be important on the field – he has been magnificent for Trinity this year, but they are evolving as a squad too, with Tyson Smoothy and Thomas Doyle under contract in 2026, and the club keen not to block the development of Harvey Smith, an exceptional talent.

But he will be just as crucial off it in helping start the rebuild at Castleford. It may be for one year, it may be for two. Hood’s signing, and players of that ilk, will be vital in laying the foundations for future signings.

You only have to look at the journey clubs like Hull KR and Leigh Leopards have gone on in recent years. They have had great success from recruitment senior heads whose best days may be considered past them.

But it is what they bring away from the games and in day-to-day life around the club that will be vital.

That’s why players like Hood are joining in 2026. If stage one of the plan finally comes to fruition after a couple of failed attempts in recent years, the foundations will be finally set at a club that has slumbered along in recent years, opening the door for high-profile arrivals after that.

Castleford fans will have to be patient: but if they are, there is a chance things could start to turn slowly but surely at the Tigers.

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