Castleford Tigers at crossroads after calling time on Lee Radford era - James O'Brien comment

On the surface, Lee Radford's sudden exit from Castleford Tigers was a bombshell but dig a little deeper and the dots begin to join.

Shortly after enjoying an extended break in Samoa in the middle of pre-season – his reward for helping steer the nation to the World Cup final – Radford informed Castleford that he would not be renewing his contract beyond the end of this year, something he hinted at in his departure statement.

“With the club and myself heading in different directions, I think making this early call will be the correct one," he said.

Despite interest from the NRL, it was Radford's intention to remain in charge of the Tigers for the 2023 season.

But once cracks begin to appear on the field, a hastened departure becomes inevitable, as Tony Smith discovered at Hull KR last year.

Castleford have started the new campaign with three straight defeats in a repeat of Radford's debut season in 2022, only this time there is no way back for the former Hull FC boss.

The Tigers recovered from losing five of their opening six games to put one foot in the play-offs before succumbing to a late fightback by Leeds Rhinos at Headingley.

A member of the great Bradford Bulls side that overpowered their rivals with size across the park, Radford adopts a similar approach as a coach.

The 43-year-old won back-to-back Challenge Cups with a powerful Hull outfit but repeating the trick at a club that value entertaining rugby was always going to be difficult.

In mitigation, Radford had to play with the hand he was dealt, which could have been described as lousy.

Radford fielded his first-choice spine only once in 2022 – in round one – and ended the season with Greg Eden and Paul McShane in the halves and Jake Mamo at full-back.

Sheer will took Castleford to the brink of the play-offs but a hard-luck tale cannot be spun twice.

The Joe Westerman sex scandal set the tone for a miserable start to the season for the Tigers and Radford has paid the price with his job.

In an era where 'mutual agreement' often does not mean what it says on the tin, there was a genuine acceptance on both sides that the project had run its course.

Radford is not short of suitors after impressing in his role as Samoa's defence coach at last year's World Cup.

The NRL is likely to be Radford's next destination as an assistant coach, a path trodden by Brian McDermott and Richard Agar in recent times.

Radford could link up with former Hull team-mate and current Cronulla Sharks head coach Craig Fitzgibbon on the outskirts of Sydney.

The Australian was recently rewarded with a new long-term deal after guiding the Sharks to a second-place finish in his first season in charge in 2022.

As Radford prepares for pastures new – as well as a potential promotion in the Samoa set-up – Castleford must find a coach capable of giving the fans what they want: success with a swagger.

Although those things are not mutually exclusive, most supporters would accept one without the other.

Before the new coach can even think about ending the club's 37-year wait for major silverware, surgery is required on an ageing squad.

As many as 14 first-team players are out of contract this year, including several experienced figures such as Westerman, Liam Watts and Nathan Massey, a fact not lost on Castleford as they weighed up whether to stick with Radford until the end of the season.

After deciding to part company with the Hull-born boss early, they have given the new man a clear run at recruitment and retention for 2024 and beyond.

The identity of the next Tigers head coach remains to be seen but one thing is for sure: it is a huge appointment.

Castleford have threatened to upset the natural order in Super League yet still find themselves on the outside looking in.

The Stuart Raper era got Tigers fans dreaming again and Daryl Powell guided the club to three major finals with only the League Leaders' Shield to show for his efforts.

In between times, Castleford have been to the Championship and back twice.

If they are not careful, the post-Powell era could begin to look like the aftermath of Raper's reign.

The Tigers have enough quality and experience in their ranks to avoid a relegation battle in 2023 but they are a club at a crossroads.

The playing squad is crying out for a modern twist and Castleford need the right man to oversee the transition.

All is not lost in 2023 – far from it only three rounds in – but the club need to start playing the long game if they are to get back to trading blows with Super League’s heavyweights.