New boss Ryan Carr has revealed his priority as he begins the process of reviving Castleford Tigers.

Castleford have finished second from bottom of Betfred Super League twice in the past three seasons - and were just one place better off in the other - so restoring pride in the club and community at the top of Carr’s to-do list. Outlining what would be a successful season in 2026, the Aussie stressed: “Making sure we become the club we know we can be, both on and off the field.”

He said: “We want to ensure when our fans come to watch us play they walk away proud, having pride in our community and club. There’s a rich history here, there’s been a lot of investment put in and we want to repay all that support with good performances and give people something they are proud of.”

Carr is no stranger to West Yorkshire, having coached Featherstone Rovers to the Championship Grand Final in 2019, when he doubled up as a part-time assistant-boss with Leeds Rhinos. He returned to Australia after one season to work as assistant to Brad Arthur, who is now in charge of Rhinos, at Parramatta Eels before joining St George-Illawarra Dragons in a similar role.

New Castleford Tigers coach Ryan Carr. Picture by Peter Smith.

placeholder image — New Castleford Tigers coach Ryan Carr. Picture by Peter Smith.

Next season is Tigers’ centenary and Carr insisted: “It’s an exciting time for the club and a big year coming up. There’s a lot of changes happening; there’s a new 4g pitch [under construction], we’ve got new buildings being put up and a lot of work’s being done on the current facility. A lot of investment is being made, which is exciting. A lot of people care about the club and we’ve got to make sure we pay that faith back and do a good job on the field.”

Carr was appointed in August and completed the season at St George before heading to England. He watched all Tigers’ 2025 games, but said that was more to get a feel for the competition than the way Castleford performed. “I don’t want to look backwards too much,” he stated. “I just want to look forward. What happened last year was out of my control. What we can control is what we do next. I am more worried about how we turn up for week one of pre-season and where we go from there.”

Tigers have a new-look squad, with Jack Ashworth (from Hull FC), Renouf Atoni (Wakefield Trinity), Brock Greacen (Newcastle Knights), Liam Hood (Wakefield), Jordan Lane (Hull FC), Darnell McIntosh (Leigh Leopards), Mikaele Rivalawa (St George), Semi Valemei (North Queensland Cowboys), Blake Taaffe (Canterbury Bulldogs) and Tom Weaver (Gold Coast Titans) all coming into the club. More signings are planned by director of rugby Chris Chester and Carr stressed he is happy with the recruitment so far.

Blake Taaffe, seen in NRL action for Canterbury Bulldogs against Dolphins at Accor Stadium, Sydney, in May is one of a host of new players who will train with Castlefrord Tigers for the first time on Monday. Picture by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images.

“Chezzy has done a great job,” he said. “We’ve been talking every day, even when I was in Aus. A lot of work has gone into that roster and it hasn’t finished yet. It is going to feel new and different, but it is going to come down to everyone doing their job, not just one or two individuals. We have got to make sure we start from the ground and build up.”