It has been 50 days since Ryan Carr left Castleford Tigers, and the club still hasn’t announced who their head coach will be.
On Friday 21 August, Castleford released a 56-word statement confirming his exit, but he had been absent from matches for two weeks before that.
The Australian initially signed a three-year deal at the club, but having initially stepped away due to “personal reasons” on August 5, it forced Director of Rugby Chris Chester to become part of the coaching staff for the second season running.
Initially being helped out by Scott Murrell, Rob Nickolay and Adrian Vowles, the club announced that Luke Robinson had signed a multi-year contract, but only in an assistant role – something he made clear will remain that way.
Speaking after the club’s 36-12 defeat to St Helens in round 24 – the game that saw Jackson Hastings red carded for punching Tyler Dupree – Chester outlined a timeline for appointing Carr’s successor.
“The new head coach needs to be here for the start of preseason,” he said. “It will be a new chapter. We’ve got to move on.
Whilst that still can happen, the fact that the search for a new boss has hit 50 days is somewhat of a concern, and a lack of updates from the club is making fans – who were pivotal to their recent Grade A ranking – sweat over the side’s future.
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In terms of potential candidates, Paul Rowley is thought to be well in the running, whilst the club are open to the idea of bringing in another coach from Australia.
Rowley, who LoveRugbyLeague say is now back in firm contention, is among the likes of John Morris, the former Cronulla Sharks boss, and Eric Smith, an ex-Queensland Cup head coach.
With no confirmed person in charge yet, and a number of high-profile NRL recruits coming in, the club need to get the decision both right and done soon. Pre-season will begin for players not involved in internationals in early November, meaning the West Yorkshire outfit have around three weeks to employ someone and get them settled in before work begins.
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