# 2023 Castleford Tigers season

The 2023 season was the Castleford Tigers' 98th season in the Rugby Football League and their 16th consecutive season in the top flight of English rugby league. The club competed in the 2023 Super League and the 2023 Challenge Cup.
Castleford began the season under head coach Lee Radford, before he was sacked in March and replaced by his assistant Andy Last. Last himself was dismissed after five months in charge, with Danny Ward appointed for the remainder of the campaign. The team was captained by Paul McShane, with Joe Westerman as interim in his absence. They finished the Super League season in 11th place, narrowly surviving a relegation battle with Wakefield.

## Season overview

Having finished the 2022 season in 7th place, falling short of play-off qualification on the final day, Castleford recruited high-profile signings including Gareth Widdop, Jacob Miller and Albert Vete. Going into Lee Radford's second year as head coach, expectations were mixed: a new-look spine was an enticing prospect, however the Tigers squad also had the league's highest average age.
Pre-season preparations were beset by coaching absences and disorganised, leaving the team on the back foot according to senior players Jordan Turner and Kenny Edwards. In a poor start to the season, Castleford fell to defeats against Hull FC and St Helens. A heavy loss to Wigan in round 3 proved a tipping point, with Radford relieved of his first-team duties on 6 March. Assistant coach Andy Last took charge of the team on an interim basis, while the club began a recruitment process for a permanent successor. Centre Jake Mamo also departed the squad on 15 March after announcing his retirement.
The Tigers registered their first win of the season in round 5 against the Leeds Rhinos, in between miserable losses to Huddersfield and Warrington. After a further defeat away to Catalans, they secured a Rivals Round victory over Wakefield. On 19 April, after overseeing two wins from six matches in charge, Last was appointed full-time head coach on a two-and-a-half-year deal. Castleford came close against Salford and Hull KR, but ultimately entered into a six-match losing streak, including elimination from the Challenge Cup at the first time of asking in front of a decade-low home crowd. In May, Craig Lingard was appointed as an assistant coach to Last.
The Magic Weekend provided the occasion of their third victory, with Qareqare's try and Widdop's conversion completing a comeback over Leeds. A large loss to Salford followed, with captain Paul McShane's season ended by a fractured forearm, although the Tigers consolidated with a win over out-of-form Warrington. Positioned 11th in the table and with bottom placed Wakefield picking up form, another lengthy losing streak began to build up the pressure on Castleford. A host of signings, including Liam Horne, Charbel Tasipale and Blake Austin, aimed to turn the tide back in Cas' favour - however, on 4 August, a comprehensive loss against Huddersfield sent the Tigers bottom on points difference, with a number of fans staging a protest. That evening, the club announced that Last would depart with immediate effect.
On 9 August, Castleford confirmed the appointment of Danny Ward as head coach on a deal until the end of the season, with Dane Dorahy joining as an assistant. The first fixture under the new staff saw a huge clash away at relegation rivals Wakefield, billed as the repeat of the 2006 'Battle of Belle Vue'. The Tigers started as underdogs but fought to a vital 28–12 victory, with Greg Eden scoring a hat-trick. Now with the upper hand, a win against Hull FC in Castleford's final home game all but guaranteed survival. Despite sustaining extremely heavy defeats against Warrington, Wigan and Leeds in the closing rounds, Castleford confirmed an 11th-placed finish, consigning Wakefield to the Championship and bringing a close to a disastrous and disappointing season. Joe Westerman was named both Castleford Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year, and Jason Qareqare won a third consecutive Try of the Season award.

## Transfers and loans
### Transfers in

| No | Player | From | Contract | Date |
| 19 | Albert Vete | Hull Kingston Rovers | 2 years | 23 September 2022 |
| 20 | Muizz Mustapha | Leeds Rhinos | 1 year | 3 October 2022 |
| 7 | Jacob Miller | Wakefield Trinity | 3 years | 4 October 2022 |
| 6 | Gareth Widdop | Warrington Wolves | 2 years | 6 October 2022 |
| 17 | Jack Broadbent | Leeds Rhinos | 2 years | 2 December 2022 |
| 30 | Jacob Hookem | Hull FC | 1 year | 8 December 2022 |
| 27 | Bailey Dawson | Hull Kingston Rovers | 1 year | 10 December 2022 |
| 39 | Will Tate | Hull Kingston Rovers | 2½ years | 9 April 2023 |
| — | Jacques O'Neill | Unaffiliated | ½ year | 20 April 2023 |
| 45 | Liam Horne | Norths Devils | 1½ years | 24 July 2023 |
| 44 | Charbel Tasipale | Newtown Jets | 1½ years | 26 July 2023 |

### Loans in

| No | Player | From | Loan type | Arrival | Return |
| 38 | Luis Johnson | Hull Kingston Rovers | Season long, two-week recall | 2 April 2023 | 16 May 2023 |
| 40 | Riley Dean | Warrington Wolves | Season-long, two-week recall | 13 June 2023 | 1 August 2023 |
| 41 | Jordan Johnstone | Widnes Vikings | Season-long | 4 July 2023 | 23 September 2023 |
| 42 | Alex Foster | Newcastle Thunder | Season-long | 20 July 2023 | 23 September 2023 |
| 43 | Billy Tsikrikas | Canterbury Bulldogs | Season-long | 20 July 2023 | 23 September 2023 |
| 46 | Blake Austin | Leeds Rhinos | Season-long | 3 August 2023 | 23 September 2023 |

### Transfers out

| No | Player | To | Contract | Date |
| 6 | Jake Trueman | Hull FC | 3 years | 6 July 2022 |
| 2 | Derrell Olpherts | Leeds Rhinos | 2 years | 26 August 2022 |
| 20 | James Clare | Retired | Retired | 26 August 2022 |
| 24 | Cheyse Blair | Retired | Retired | 26 August 2022 |
| 26 | Ryan Hampshire | Wigan Warriors | 1 year | 26 August 2022 |
| 30 | Sosaia Feki | Retired | Retired | 26 August 2022 |
| 27 | Lewis Peachey | Sheffield Eagles | 3 years | 20 September 2022 |
| 31 | Gareth O'Brien | Leigh Leopards | 2 years | 20 October 2022 |
| 21 | Jake Mamo | Retired | Retired | 15 March 2023 |
| 22 | Daniel Smith | Featherstone Rovers | ½ year | 22 May 2023 |
| 18 | Callum McLelland | Midlands Hurricanes | 1 year | 21 June 2023 |
| 4 | Mahe Fonua | Doncaster | ½ year | 25 July 2023 |
| 5 | Bureta Faraimo | Doncaster | ½ year | 25 July 2023 |

### Loans out

| No | Player | To | Loan type | Departure | Return |
| 19 | Albert Vete | Featherstone Rovers | Two-week | 5 April 2023 | 19 April 2023 |
| 31 | Jason Qareqare | Bradford Bulls | Two-week, rolling | 20 April 2023 | 2 June 2023 |
| 22 | Daniel Smith | Featherstone Rovers | Two-week | 3 May 2023 | Permanent |
| 16 | Adam Milner | Huddersfield Giants | Season-long | 25 May 2023 | Permanent |
| 27 | Bailey Dawson | Whitehaven | Two-week, rolling | 30 June 2023 | 14 July 2023 |
| 34 | George Hill | Whitehaven | Two-week, rolling | 30 June 2023 | 27 September 2023 |
| — | Will Groves | Whitehaven | Two-week, rolling | 15 July 2023 | 27 September 2023 |
| 19 | Albert Vete | Doncaster | Season-long, two-week recall | 27 July 2023 | 25 September 2023 |
| 24 | Cain Robb | Swinton Lions | Season-long, recall | 3 August 2023 | 4 September 2023 |
| 15 | Alex Sutcliffe | Halifax Panthers | Season-long | 4 August 2023 | 25 September 2023 |
| — | Jacques O'Neill | Sheffield Eagles | Two-week, rolling | 15 August 2023 | 29 August 2023 |

### Dual registration

Castleford also agreed dual registration arrangements with the Halifax Panthers in the Championship and the Midlands Hurricanes in League 1.
| Club | No | Player | App | T | G | DG | Pts |
| Halifax Panthers | 4 | Mahe Fonua | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Halifax Panthers | 23 | Suaia Matagi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Halifax Panthers | 22 | Daniel Smith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Halifax Panthers | 15 | Alex Sutcliffe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midlands Hurricanes | 27 | Bailey Dawson | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Midlands Hurricanes | 28 | Sam Hall | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midlands Hurricanes | 30 | Jacob Hookem | 9 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 42 |
| Midlands Hurricanes | 25 | Brad Martin | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Midlands Hurricanes | — | Courage Mhuklani | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midlands Hurricanes | — | Scott Murrell | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midlands Hurricanes | 31 | Jason Qareqare | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midlands Hurricanes | 26 | Elliot Wallis | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Midlands Hurricanes | 33 | Aaron Willis | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
    Sources: RLRKC – Halifax Panthers 2023 & RLRKC – Midlands Hurricanes 2023
* 1 2 3 4 5 With an option for a further year
* ↑ McLelland initially announced his retirement, but later joined the Midlands Hurricanes on a one-year deal
* ↑ The deal was made permanent on 22 May 2023
* ↑ The deal was made permanent at the end of the season
* 1 2 Castleford Reserves player
* ↑ He later rejoined Halifax on loan, but made 1 appearance while on dual registration
* ↑ Castleford Reserves head coach and first-team assistant coach

## Pre-season friendlies

| Date | Opposition | H/A | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals |
| Sat 31 December | Featherstone Rovers | A | Post Office Road | L | 10–26 | Wallis, Broadbent | Hookem (1/2) |
| Sun 22 January | Keighley Cougars | A | Cougar Park | (P) | P–P | | |
| Sun 29 January | Whitehaven R.L.F.C. | A | LEL Arena | W | 38–4 | Faraimo (2), Broadbent (2), Mellor, Mamo, Lawler | Hookem (5/7) |
| Sun 5 February | Huddersfield Giants | H | Wheldon Road | W | 48–10 | Mellor, McShane (2), Faraimo (3), Fonua (2), Vete | Widdop (5/8), Massey (1/1) |
* ↑ Jake Webster's testimonial match
* ↑ Postponed due to a frozen pitch
* ↑ Nathan Massey's testimonial match

## Super League
### Results

| Date | Round | Opposition | H/A | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Drop goals | Attendance |
| Sun 19 February | 1 | Hull FC | A | MKM Stadium | L | 30–32 | Faraimo (2), Edwards, Miller, Mamo | Widdop (5/5) | | 15,383 |
| Sun 26 February | 2 | St Helens | H | Wheldon Road | L | 6–24 | Broadbent | Widdop (1/1) | | 10,042 |
| Fri 3 March | 3 | Wigan Warriors | H | Wheldon Road | L | 0–36 | | | | 7,565 |
| Fri 10 March | 4 | Huddersfield Giants | A | Kirklees Stadium | L | 6–36 | Lawler | Widdop (1/1) | | 4,071 |
| Thu 16 March | 5 | Leeds Rhinos | H | Wheldon Road | W | 14–8 | Faraimo (2) | Widdop (3/4) | | 7,458 |
| Fri 24 March | 6 | Warrington Wolves | H | Wheldon Road | L | 0–38 | | | | 7,348 |
| Sat 1 April | 7 | Catalans Dragons | A | Stade Gilbert Brutus | L | 18–22 | Broadbent (2), Turner | McShane (3/3) | | 8,109 |
| Thu 6 April | 8 | Wakefield Trinity | H | Wheldon Road | W | 16–4 | McShane, Eden (2) | McShane (2/3) | | 8,075 |
| Thu 13 April | 9 | Salford Red Devils | A | AJ Bell Stadium | L | 6–14 | Eden | Widdop (1/1) | | 4,468 |
| Fri 21 April | 10 | Hull KR | H | Wheldon Road | L | 7–12 | Miller | McShane (1/1) | Miller | 7,110 |
| Fri 5 May | 11 | Leigh Leopards | A | Leigh Sports Village | L | 6–30 | Westerman | Widdop (1/1) | | 5,423 |
| Fri 12 May | 12 | Catalans Dragons | H | Wheldon Road | L | 22–46 | Mellor (2), Faraimo (2) | Widdop (1/1), McShane (2/3) | | 5,788 |
| Fri 26 May | 13 | Huddersfield Giants | A | Kirklees Stadium | L | 4–20 | Mellor | Widdop (0/1) | | 4,206 |
| Sat 3 June | 14 | Leeds Rhinos | N | St James' Park | W | 26–24 | Miller, Wallis, Mellor (2), Qareqare | Widdop (3/5) | | 36,943 |
| Fri 9 June | 15 | Salford Red Devils | H | Wheldon Road | L | 10–42 | Qareqare, Edwards | Widdop (1/2) | | 6,354 |
| Fri 23 June | 16 | Warrington Wolves | H | Wheldon Road | W | 23–14 | Tate, Qareqare, Broadbent | Widdop (5/7) | Widdop | 6,066 |
| Fri 30 June | 17 | St Helens | A | Totally Wicked Stadium | L | 0–22 | | | | 11,488 |
| Fri 7 July | 18 | Leigh Leopards | H | Wheldon Road | L | 16–34 | Widdop, Wallis (2) | Widdop (2/3) | | 6,344 |
| Sat 15 July | 19 | Hull FC | A | MKM Stadium | L | 18–36 | Wallis, Broadbent, Faraimo | Widdop (3/4) | | 12,352 |
| Fri 28 July | 20 | Hull KR | A | Craven Park | L | 16–34 | Tate, Broadbent, Eden | Dean (2/3) | | 8,800 |
| Fri 4 August | 21 | Huddersfield Giants | H | Wheldon Road | L | 0–28 | | | | 6,452 |
| Fri 18 August | 22 | Wakefield Trinity | A | Belle Vue | W | 28–12 | Tasipale, Eden (3), Foster | Widdop (4/6) | | 4,710 |
| Fri 25 August | 23 | St Helens | H | Wheldon Road | L | 4–34 | Turner | Widdop (0/1) | | 6,668 |
| Sat 2 September | 24 | Warrington Wolves | A | Halliwell Jones Stadium | L | 12–66 | Hall, Eden | Widdop (2/2) | | 9,103 |
| Fri 8 September | 25 | Hull FC | H | Wheldon Road | W | 29–12 | Qareqare (2), Eden, Foster, Turner | Widdop (4/6) | Austin | 7,947 |
| Fri 15 September | 26 | Wigan Warriors | A | DW Stadium | L | 6–48 | Qareqare | Austin | | 13,109 |
| Fri 22 September | 27 | Leeds Rhinos | A | Headingley Stadium | L | 0–46 | | | | 15,109 |
* ↑ Lee Radford's final match as head coach
* ↑ Andy Last's first match as interim head coach
* ↑ Andy Last's first match as permanent head coach
* ↑ Andy Last's final match as head coach
* ↑ Danny Ward's first match as head coach

### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Wigan Warriors (L, C) | 27 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 722 | 360 | +362 | 40 | Qualification to Semi-finals |
| 2 | Catalans Dragons | 27 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 722 | 420 | +302 | 40 | Qualification to Semi-finals |
| 3 | St. Helens | 27 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 613 | 366 | +247 | 40 | Qualification to Eliminators |
| 4 | Hull KR | 27 | 16 | 0 | 11 | 589 | 498 | +91 | 32 | Qualification to Eliminators |
| 5 | Leigh Leopards | 27 | 16 | 0 | 11 | 585 | 508 | +77 | 32 | Qualification to Eliminators |
| 6 | Warrington Wolves | 27 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 597 | 512 | +85 | 28 | Qualification to Eliminators |
| 7 | Salford Red Devils | 27 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 494 | 512 | −18 | 26 | |
| 8 | Leeds Rhinos | 27 | 12 | 0 | 15 | 535 | 534 | +1 | 24 | |
| 9 | Huddersfield Giants | 27 | 11 | 0 | 16 | 473 | 552 | −79 | 22 | |
| 10 | Hull FC | 27 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 476 | 654 | −178 | 20 | |
| 11 | Castleford Tigers | 27 | 6 | 0 | 21 | 323 | 774 | −451 | 12 | |
| 12 | Wakefield Trinity (R) | 27 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 303 | 742 | −439 | 8 | Relegation to Championship |

### Results summary

| Head coach | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
| Head coach | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD |
| Lee Radford | 3 | 0 | 3 | 36 | 92 | -56 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 60 | -54 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 32 | -2 |
| Andy Last | 18 | 4 | 14 | 208 | 464 | -256 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 108 | 226 | -118 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 74 | 214 | -140 |
| Danny Ward | 6 | 2 | 4 | 79 | 218 | -139 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 33 | 46 | -13 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 46 | 172 | -126 |
| Total | 27 | 6 | 21 | 323 | 774 | -451 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 147 | 332 | -185 | 13 | 1 | 12 | 150 | 418 | -268 |
* ↑ Includes the Magic Weekend fixture at a neutral venue, St James' Park

## Challenge Cup
### Results

| Date | Round | Opposition | H/A | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Drop goals | Attendance | Source |
| Sun 21 May | 6 | Hull FC | H | Wheldon Road | L | 8–32 | Fonua, Tate | McShane (0/1), Hookem (0/1) | | 4,249 | |

## Player statistics
### Summary

| No | Player | App | T | G | DG | Pts |
| 1 | Niall Evalds | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Greg Eden | 15 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
| 3 | Jordan Turner | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 4 | Mahe Fonua | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 5 | Bureta Faraimo | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| 6 | Gareth Widdop | 21 | 1 | 37 | 1 | 79 |
| 7 | Jacob Miller | 26 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| 8 | George Lawler | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Paul McShane | 15 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 20 |
| 10 | George Griffin | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Kenny Edwards | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 12 | Alex Mellor | 26 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| 13 | Joe Westerman | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 14 | Nathan Massey | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Alex Sutcliffe | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Adam Milner | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Jack Broadbent | 26 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 18 | Callum McLelland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Albert Vete | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Muizz Mustapha | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Jake Mamo | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 22 | Daniel Smith | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Suaia Matagi | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Cain Robb | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Brad Martin | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Elliot Wallis | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 27 | Bailey Dawson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Sam Hall | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 29 | Kieran Hudson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Jacob Hookem | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Jason Qareqare | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 32 | Liam Watts | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Aaron Willis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | George Hill | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Ilikaya Mafi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Hugo Nikhata | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Danny Richardson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Luis Johnson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Will Tate | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 40 | Riley Dean | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 41 | Jordan Johnstone | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | Alex Foster | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 43 | Billy Tsikrikas | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | Charbel Tasipale | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 45 | Liam Horne | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 46 | Blake Austin | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 47 | Fletcher Rooney | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
    Source: RLRKC – Castleford Tigers 2023