West Yorkshire Championship boss joins Castleford Tigers as assistant-coach

Lingard linked up with Tigers today (Tuesday) and will combine both roles until leaving Batley at the end of this season.

The 45-year-old is Batley’s leading try-scorer, with 142 in 205 games and coached Bramley Buffaloes and Keighley Cougars before taking charge of the Bulldogs in 2020.

He was Betfred Championship coach of the year in 2021 and led Bulldogs to a shock Grand Final appearance last season.

Explaining his move, Lingard said: “I think it’s the right time for me personally and I think it’s the right time for Batley and someone else to have an opportunity.

“My ambition has always been to try and coach in Super League and move from that part-time environment, so thankfully I’ve been able to do that at Castleford.

“I’ll have very fond memories [of Batley] because it’s a club that has played a massive part in my life.”

Ryan Carr and James Webster were both assistant-coach at Leeds Rhinos during their time as Featherstone Rovers’ team boss and Lingard insisted: “It will be pretty simple, because with part-time rugby you train in the evening.

“With full-time rugby, you train during the day so I will be able to balance the two pretty easily.

“I made a commitment to the players at Batley we were going to see the season out together and I’m really thankful Castleford have given me the chance to do that.”

Lingard feels both he and Tigers coach Andy Last will benefit from their new partnership.

“If you think that you’ve learned everything, then you stagnate and you will stay where you are,” he said.

“It’s important for me that I look to learn from other people and hopefully I can benefit Andy with the experience I have had over the last five or six years as a head-coach.

“Although it is [Last’s] first full-time gig as a head-coach, he has worked under some world-class coaches so his knowledge will be up there.

“I will be guided by Lasty as it’s his team, but I’m sure I’ll get that opportunity to put my stamp on things which will come the more time I spend down here.”

Last feels Lingard is a “good fit” for him and Tigers. He said: “I’m really pleased Craig has decided to join us.

“I had a couple of good chats with him face-to-face and got a really good feel for the type of person he is and the type of coach he is.

“He has got great experience, he understands what it takes to win. His teams are difficult to play against and they’re creative.

“He’s done a really good job at Batley and his experience is something I’ll be able to lean on heavily.

“The fact he has been a head coach for a number of years in the Championship and his understanding of the Championship will benefit us in terms of recruitment opportunities and players who could potentially step up to Super League.”

Last added: “I think the fact he’s a former full-back, he can take a bit more of a lead on the attacking side of things.

“He’s knowledgeable and he has a good eye for the game and I just feel he’ll be a really good fit for us.”