'Over the moon': Castleford Tigers coach Andy Last pledges entertaining rugby after appointment confirmed

Last had been interim-coach since Lee Radford left the club six weeks ago. The 42-year-old joined Tigers as Radford’s right hand man ahead of the 2022 season, following previous spells as an assistant at Hull FC and Wakefield Trinity.

He had a stint as caretaker-boss at Hull, also after Radford was axed, but was overlooked for the permanent role there and admitted: “I have been waiting for an opportunity as a head-coach for a number of years now.”

He said: “I feel as though I have served my apprenticeship working alongside some outstanding coaches whom I have learned a great deal from.

“I’m looking forward to putting my mark on Castleford over the next two and a half years.

“It’s a very honest and hardworking club which is steeped in a rich history and some fantastic players have worn the shirt.

“I’m looking forward to influencing the current group of players and putting my stamp on things moving forward.”

Tigers won two of their six games under Last as caretaker-coach and are 10th in Betfred Super League ahead of Friday’s home game against Hull KR.

Last insisted he has a clear idea of how to take the team forward. He said: “I want us to be more creative and I want us to be playing with more shape.

“We want to really encourage the players to support the ball carrier and I want us to be moving the ball quickly east to west with strike plays on the edges.

“We have got some creative players at the moment, but we just need to implement a couple of tweaks and adjustments to get us playing the way we want to play.

“We want to make sure we entertain and are brave enough to find that pass or offload.

“I think defensively over the last three or four weeks we have been showing a better desire to stop the opposition from scoring.

“What we need to do is try and find that energy and enthusiasm when we’ve got the ball and to make a little more of it when we are attacking.”

Last’s initial task is to steer Tigers away from the relegation zone, but he also faces some key decisions on player recruitment and retention for next year.

“The main factor is whether they will improve Castleford Tigers,” he stated. “Will they help us to be competitive and win more games?

“I’ve made no secret there are big decisions to be made going forward, but I think a big thing for us is looking at the profile of the squad and making sure we recruit the best fit in terms of outside-backs who are going to be creative from an attacking point of view and a forward pack that is dynamic with leg speed.

“It’s about that blend of having experienced heads alongside players who have their best years ahead of them and it’s important supporters know that the decisions made will be in the best interests of the club, not only in the short term, but in the long term too.”

Of this season, he added: “The players are working hard on a day-to-day basis and I’m sure if we all continue working hard and being united then we will start to win more games than we lose.”