'˜We don't want to be one-season wonders' says Castleford Tigers' captain Shenton

Tigers topped the table for the first time in the club’s history in 2017, but were unable to complete the job in the Betfred Super League Grand Final.

That means Shenton has faced one key question in the build up to the new campaign, which for Tigers begins away to St Helens on Friday – can you go one better this year?

“It’s a big challenge, but of course,” Shenton insisted. “Having had a look at it last year and the season we had, we definitely want to back that up with another quality season and give ourselves the best opportunity we can to get back in those big games.

“I think once you get a good feeling for it and you get a feel for those big games and that little taste of silverware we got last year as well, you get hungry for more.

“We don’t want to be a team that people say ‘oh they had a good year that year’, we want to back that up. We want to know this group of players is good enough to be challenging for a long time.”

Tigers’ poorest performance of last season came in the Grand Final loss to Leeds Rhinos, sparking claims they can’t handle the pressure of big games.

Shenton admitted that wounds, but he conceded: “When you put yourselves up there at the top, you are up there to get knocked off.

“What you have got to do is use that bit of motivation, but then not take too much notice of it. There’s plenty to prove, we know that – nobody needs to tell us we didn’t do the job at the end.

“It definitely hurts, but we are definitely hungry to do it again. It took a while to get over it, but I think we’re now ready to give it a good crack.”

Castleford finished the Super-8s 10 points clear of second-placed Leeds and 18 better than Wakefield Trinity who were fifth, but Shenton warned: “I think this year will be even tougher.”

He said: “There’s been lots of changes in and around the league, coaches and players coming in and we are expecting a real challenge.

“It’s going to be really difficult to be as consistent as we were last year, but that’s the goal.

“The winning mentality we grew last year is still there. We are in a good place to build on that and I think we’ve added some depth in some of the players we’ve brought in.

“They are hungry to come in and do well.

“We’ve got players who’ve seen what we did last year and want to play in those games and others who played and want to go one step further.

“We’ve got a good dynamic in the team at the moment and a great coaching staff. It’s a really good feeling about the place, like it was last year, but everyone knows what we are about and we have to handle that.”

Tigers have not won away against St Helens since 1992 so victory on Friday would be a statement of intent.

“It’s a big game and a good indicator of where we’re at,” Shenton said. “It’s not the be-all and end-all, but it’s all we are focused on now.

“It’s one game at a time and that’s the next one. We know they’ll be playing well and they will definitely be a big threat with the ball and they’ve always got great intensity. We know it’s a big challenge, but I think we’re fresh and raring to go.”