17 October 2023 , 17:00
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Craig Lingard is ready to stamp his mark as Castleford’s new head coach with the club confirming Danny McGuire will be his No2.
Tigers have finally sorted their coaching set-up for 2024. Danny Ward, who was in interim charge for the last six games of the season after Andy Last’s sacking, turned down the chance to take on the role.
But the West Yorkshire club - who narrowly avoided relegation - have now turned to Lingard, who was Last’s No2 after joining from Batley in May. He has agreed a two-year deal, the same as ex-Leeds stand-off Danny McGuire who has joined after being surprisingly axed from his role as Hull KR assistant.
Lingard said: “I am massively honoured. Something I’ve always aspired to be is a head coach in Super League and I’ve got that opportunity now.
"It has come a little bit sooner than I was expecting but it’s something I’m going to grab with both hands and hopefully be a success. I’m coming in with my eyes fully wide open; it's not a new venue for me.
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"I’ve got a good idea about the workings of the club. With the bulk of the squad staying, I’ve got experience of working with those guys and I can work a bit more closely with them next year.
"I can put my stamp on how I want us to play and the values we want to bring back to Castleford Tigers to make us more successful than we have been this season.”
Danny McGuire has been named as Lingard's assistant at Castleford (James Heaton/News Images)Ex-England half-back McGuire, 40, helped KR reach Wembley this year and the top-four. He said: “I’m really excited about the challenge after a fair bit of speculation. But for me it’s about looking forward to working with a really talented bunch of players and a club with history and everything that surrounds Castleford Tigers.
“I can’t wait to get stuck into it. It’s really nice to meet Craig. He seems like a really good fella and I’m really excited to work alongside him.
“I’m still fairly early on into my coaching journey with loads to learn and experience so I’m excited to be working alongside somebody who’s achieved so much in the game. I’ll be picking his brains. Hopefully we can gel really well and work well as a combination.”