Axed head coach Lee Radford believes parting ways with Castleford Tigers will be the “correct” call for all involved.
He was relieved of his duties by mutual agreement in a shock development on Monday morning. The Betfred Super League season is only three games old but Radford has already become the first coaching casualty. Struggling Castleford had lost every match with Friday’s humiliating 36-0 home defeat against Wigan seemingly the last straw.
In a statement, Radford, 43, said: “With the club and myself heading in different directions, I think making this early call will be the correct one. Hopefully it can kick-start their season starting this Friday away at Huddersfield. I’d like to thank on record the fans, management, coaching staff and players and wish them all the best for 2023 and beyond.”
In his first season at Wheldon Road last year, Radford narrowly missed out on the play-offs when Castleford finished seventh. He had already told the club he wasn’t looking to extend his contract when it expired at the end of this season but the early exit has taken many by surprise. Assistant coach Andy Last takes charge in the interim, just as he did when Radford was sacked at Hull in 2020.
Back then, Last guided Hull to the Super League semi-finals and he’s also England assistant coach so would be well-placed to throw his hat in the ring for the current vacancy. Castleford are known for not being big-spenders so they are not expected to go down the NRL route when seeking Radford’s replacement. Ex-London coach Danny Ward, former Wakefield chief Chris Chester and highly-rated Batley boss Craig Lingard could all be considered while Willie Poching is also currently without a club.
Speculation about Radford’s future had already started when he headed for an extended break to Samoa in December. As defence coach, he had helped the Pacific nation’s stunning rise as they reached the World Cup final. Radford has since had plenty of admirers in the NRL and it’d be no surprise if he followed fellow English coaches Brian McDermott (Newcastle Knights) and Richard Agar (New Zealand Warriors) in gaining employment as an assistant Down Under. His former Hull team-mate Craig Fitzgibbon is head coach at Cronulla.
Radford came in for some criticism for selecting Joe Westerman in Castleford’s opening game of the season at Hull, just days after the loose forward’s much-publicised sex scandal. But that is not thought to have played a part in the club’s decision. Castleford lost that game 32-30 after being 32-6 down but they put in a much improved display against reigning champions St Helens when falling 24-6.
A Tigers statement read: "Everyone at the club would like to thank Lee for his time in charge of the first team. The club's board of directors will now begin the search for its next permanent head coach and would ask everyone to get behind Andy Last and the team in the interim period."
