Castleford Tigers have appointed Craig Lingard as their new assistant coach with the Batley Bulldogs chief saying: “It's the right time for me and Super League.”
The 45 year-old will combine roles until the end of the season before fully moving to Wheldon Road for 2024. He has earned a reputation as one of the finest coaches outside of the top-flight for the work he has consistently done with the Championship club. Lingard guided part-timers Batley to the Million Pound Game against Leigh last year after defeating favourites Featherstine in the semi-final and they have regularly punched above their weight.
He has now signed a two-and-a-half-year deal to work alongside Andy Last, who was appointed Castleford head coach last month. Lingard started working with the Tigers today and he said: “I am really pleased. It’s been good to get down and get my first day out of the way. Everyone has been really welcoming and it’s been good to get out on that field for that first session, get some drills done and watch the boys in action. It’s an exciting time for me and an exciting time for the club over the next few years.”
Lingard remains Batley’s all-time record scorer with 142 tries in 205 games and he ventured into coaching working at the likes of Bramley, at Batlety - as an assistant - and Keighley before returning to Mount Pleasant. He doesn’t envisage any difficulties combining both roles initially and explained: “Batley train on a night as part-time rugby and 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 Batley players that we were going to see the season out together and I’m really thankful that Castleford have given me the chance to do that.”
And after impressing in the Championship, he feels he is ready to test his skills at the elite level. Wakefield-born Lingard said: “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.
“If you think that you’ve learned everything then you stagnate, and you will stay where you are. 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. Andy has worked with some first-class coaches throughout his career and although it is his first full-time gig as a head coach, he has worked under some world-class coaches so his knowledge will be up there.”
Lingard’s first game involved will be when Catalans visit on Friday. Last, who needed a new assistant having stepped up from that role himself to replace the sacked Lee Radford, added: “I’m really pleased that 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 that he is and the type of coach that he is. He’s 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, so I’m pleased to have him on board.
“His experience is something that I’ll be able to lean on heavily. The fact that he’s 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. I think the fact that 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.”
