Jordan Lane on Castleford Tigers statement, Hull FC reunion and John Cartwright saga

Castleford Tigers found what they were looking for at Wigan Warriors.

For all the positive talk following Ryan Carr's arrival, there had been little evidence to back up that early optimism in the opening seven rounds.

The Tigers sat bottom of the table with just two wins. They were hammered 72-6 by Warrington Wolves last month and had shipped 34 unanswered points at home to neighbours Wakefield Trinity in their previous game.

Against that backdrop, Sunday's victory in the backyard of the seven-time Super League champions carried significant weight.

Whether it can mark a genuine shift in momentum rests on what happens next.

Rather than bask in the afterglow of a first win at Wigan since 2017, focus inside the camp quickly switched to Friday's game against Hull FC.

Jordan Lane, who faces his boyhood club for the first time this week, has been encouraged by Castleford's reaction to a statement victory.

"It fills us full of confidence," he said.

"It's a massive win for us. We needed a response after the Wakefield game when we were very poor. We owed it to ourselves.

"To put one on Wigan at their place is a hard task but we got the job done and it felt great afterwards.

"We enjoyed the win but the message after the game was that we need to do it again this week against Hull.

"We know what we can do as a group. We always had the belief that we could go to Wigan and win – but we've got to do it week in, week out now."

Lane has been an ever-present since swapping the comforts of Hull for a new challenge at Wheldon Road.

The back-rower was part of the furniture at the MKM Stadium, making 163 appearances for the Black and Whites from 2018 to 2025.

But, as he said at the time of the announcement, the move to Castleford represented a chance to test himself in different surroundings.

Familiarity will return this week when Hull come to Wheldon Road.

"It's only up the road so I'm not getting too many nosebleeds travelling over," he joked.

"They're the club that gave me the opportunity to play in Super League so they'll always have a special place in my heart – but I'm a Cas Tiger now.

"It'll be a strange feeling playing against Hull but it'll just be another game on the day.

"I'll be doing everything I can to get the two points."

Lane, no stranger to turbulent times during his long stay at Hull, faces his former club in the wake of John Cartwright's departure.

The 28-year-old experienced Cartwright's impact first-hand last year as the Airlie Birds halted their slide and mounted a long overdue play-off challenge.

Despite that turnaround, the club opted to go in a different direction.

"It's a strange one," said Lane.

"I don't really know why they've let him go. I really enjoyed my time under Carty. He's a top bloke and a really, really smart coach.

"I can't comment on what's happened there because I don't know. I wish him all the best with whatever he does next."

Cartwright had been due to see out the season, only to be placed on gardening leave after making his feelings on the decision known.

Andy Last begins his interim spell back at the club where he was sacked following an ill-fated 19-game stint in charge.

"Lasty is a great bloke and a smart coach as well," added Lane.

"I'm pretty sure he'll do a good job at Hull. He's an out-and-out Hull boy so I don't think he'll look too much into the fact it's Cas this week.

"It's a big game. We're looking to go back-to-back and get that consistency going. We can't keep doing what we've been doing – following a win with a bad performance."

Consistency is not a new problem for the Tigers, who have not won back-to-back Super League games since July 2024.

But despite blowing hot and cold in the early stages of this season, they remain within touching distance of the play-off places.

That leaves Lane believing a top-six challenge is still possible – provided they can find the answer to their consistency issue.

"I'd be stupid not to think that," he said.

"There are teams bunched together across the league. The table can go either way depending on results. That's why it's important to put a run together.

"I believe in the squad and Carry as a coach. We trust in his systems. When we stick to them, we showed what we're capable of at Wigan.

"We've got to put another good performance in against Hull and see where we are after that. As Carry said straight after the Wigan game, we need to back it up.

"The only thing we're focusing on is doing to Hull what we did to Wigan."