Supplier: Oxen Main sponsor: CBR Engineering After a poor 2023 season where they were drawn into a relegation scrap with Wakefield, Castleford's 11th-placed finish narrowly secured a position in the Super League for 2024.
[6][7] Departures included mainstays Nathan Massey and Greg Eden along with senior players such as Gareth Widdop, Niall Evalds and Jordan Turner.
[6] Under the new IMG grading system, league status would no longer be solely dependent on table position, so the team operated with a reduced playing budget as the club prioritised off-field improvements.
However, they were unable to break down Leeds in round 6, with first-half control not being converted into points by their blunt attack; this sixth consecutive league loss marked Castleford's worst start to a season since 2004.
Castleford's hit-and-miss performances continued over the following weeks, when they were trounced by St Helens, won against table rivals Hull (with Hoy scoring the club's try of the season),[18] and were comfortably beaten by Leeds.
Centre Sam Wood's impressive form earned him an England call up, but he suffered an injury on international duty that ruled him out for the season.
[20] They then duly beat bottom side London, before the standout performance of the year against Catalans secured a third straight victory with two tries from Liam Horne.
[25] Lingard began to rotate the team in the remaining rounds, experimenting with different combinations and giving minutes to academy players like Jenson Windley, Fletcher Rooney and Akim Matvejev.
[92] As a Super League club, Castleford entered the 2024 Challenge Cup in the Sixth Round, scheduled to be played in late March.