A couple of weeks after owner Martin Jepson confirmed that Hull FC assistant coach Simon Grix would be joining the club for 2027, Castleford Tigers have now formally appointed Grix and he’s wasted no time in making clear his number one objective.
Jepson spoke at a fan forum in late August where he fielded plenty of questions, many of which revolved around the club’s next head coach given that Ryan Carr has left, and that saw him confirm that the club were building a new coaching staff.
Luke Robinson has been at the club in recent weeks but Jepson announced that Simon Grix would also be joining following his departure from Hull FC, something that the Black and Whites have now announced and that’s led to the Tigers confirming his appointment.
A club statement confirmed that with 40-year-old Grix to add experience that has seen him work as a Super League assistant, a Super League interim, and a Championship head coach.
Speaking on his move to Wheldon Road, Grix said: “I am extremely privileged and excited to be joining a club with great history, which has strong connections to its community in what is a rugby league stronghold.
“Timing counts for a lot in sport and the club has been doing it tough over the last few years, but the timing feels right to be joining a club with such potential.”
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Incoming Castleford Tigers assistant highlights defence as major issue to fix
Grix would also admit that initial dicscussions about becoming the assistant at Castleford had started with then Tigers boss Ryan Carr, admitting that he ‘got a good feeling for the club and their realistic, progressive vision they shared for the team and club’.
One thing that he was clear on was that the club need to fix up their defence, stating: “I have taken more interest as the season has gone on so my opinion is from afar and without the detail, but you can’t get away from the obvious; defence. That’s an area of individual and collective improvement.
“Cas have carried the reputation of being a good attacking side and scoring points hasn’t been too much of an issue over the years. Like all teams, we will need a strong pre-season where we will build trust as a group and work extremely hard in our application and approach to all aspects but improving our defence is imperative to build a grittiness that makes us hard to beat.”
To date, the Tigers have conceded 818 points in 26 Super League games this season, the most of any team at an incredible average of just under 31.5 points per game. As such, it’s clear Grix will have a big job on his hands.
GRIX JOINS CAS COACHING STAFF ⚫️🟡
Castleford Tigers are pleased to announce the appointment of Simon Grix as Assistant Coach ahead of the 2027 Betfred Super League seasonhttps://t.co/BcBiVo2Qy5#COYF #WelcomeSimon #Tigers2027 pic.twitter.com/Zn9iFbKejw
— Castleford Tigers (@CTRLFC) September 10, 2026
