The Castleford Tigers (or Cas as they are affectionately referred to) have been around since 1926. There was a team in the town earlier but not connected to the current iteration. Even the current entity was apparently around prior to 1926 but only went professional then. The trophy cabinet hasn't needed to be that large as the club has only ever experienced fleeting glory.
The 21st century commenced with a sound 5th place but descended into relegation in 2003. A season back in 2006 was not productive and with the Catalan club exempt from demotion Cas took its place. Back in 2008 and last again but spared another yo-yo type drop with licencing deciding who plays in the elite competition.
Mercifully for the fans, when relegation was reintroduced, Cas' hasn't become a victim of that scenario. Under the guidance of coach Daryl Powell, a much better Manhattan skyline can be seen in the graph below. 2017 even brought a league title and grand final appearance to the club. This was his last at the club as he moved to the Warrington Wolves in 2022.
Lee Radford came and went with Andy Last taking the reigns for 2023. The club was looking over its shoulder most of the season, hoping that dreaded relegation would be avoided and so it was...just. Craig Lingard took charge of the 2024 season.
The last (pun not intended) few years have been poor with results declining and unless something is done to arrest that, it may be heading south sooner rather than later.
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