Castleford Tigers began the 2024 season poorly, coming off a relegation scare and a meagre recruiting push.
Among the twelve new recruits, there were no well-known names; instead, they were hungry players with experience to prove. As they begin a new chapter under Craig Lingard, Castleford entered the season realistic about their chances and focused on little victories and steady advancement.
The Tigers have only seven points to show for their efforts in the first 15 rounds but are undeniably a better team now than at the start of the year, as evidenced by recent performances against Wigan Warriors and Hull KR.
Sam Wood’s England call-up for Saturday’s Test against France was another early win for Lingard’s Castleford, an unexpected bonus and further evidence of their progress.
The centre left high-flying KR to join the struggling Tigers at the end of last year, a difficult call that has already been vindicated.
“It was a really tough decision because Hull KR are a club on the up,” Wood told The Yorkshire Post.
