Next Castleford Tigers head coach: Potential candidates to replace Andy Last

The 42-year-old was swiftly sacked in the aftermath of Friday's 28-0 home defeat to Huddersfield Giants, just three and a half months into a two-and-a-half-year deal.

Last, who initially replaced Lee Radford on an interim basis in March, leaves Castleford with the club rock bottom of Super League after winning only four of his 19 games in charge.

Here, The Yorkshire Post takes a look at the potential contenders to replace Last.

John Kear

Known as one of the sport's great motivators, this rescue mission appears made for Kear.

Ironically, the two-time Challenge Cup winner kept Wakefield Trinity up at Castleford's expense in 2006 when all appeared lost.

The parallels are striking: he inherited a team fresh from a fifth straight defeat and had six games to avoid relegation.

Kear's Wakefield won four of them, including a tense victory in the final round in the Battle of Belle Vue to send Castleford down.

The 68-year-old, who is available following his sacking by Widnes Vikings in June, would find it difficult to turn down an advance from his hometown club, where he spent his entire playing career.

Should he get the call, it would add another layer of intrigue when Castleford visit Belle Vue on August 18 for a blockbuster relegation four-pointer.

Daryl Powell

The stars appear to have aligned following Powell's sacking by Warrington Wolves but there is a question mark over whether he has the appetite to dive straight back into coaching.

Powell left Castleford for Warrington at the end of 2021 after eight and a half years in the Wheldon Road hot seat.

The 58-year-old transformed the club's fortunes during his time in charge, leading the Tigers to League Leaders' Shield success as well as the Grand Final and two Challenge Cup finals.

Powell knows the club inside out and would be a popular appointment but a return appears unlikely.

Craig Lingard

Lingard missed out on the job earlier in the year before being appointed as Last's assistant.

The 45-year-old has performed miracles in the Championship with Batley Bulldogs and it appears to be a matter of time before he lands an opportunity in Super League.

Lingard, who is due to stand down as Batley boss at the end of the season, has the small matter of a Wembley trip to negotiate for next Saturday's 1895 Cup final, which could complicate things ahead of the pivotal clash with Wakefield.

The Tigers will be wary of another internal appointment but there is a sense that the fans will cut Lingard more slack than Last.

Danny Ward

Like Lingard, Ward has shown an interest in the job previously and would no doubt jump at the chance to return to rugby league.

The former Castleford prop worked wonders at London Broncos, defying the odds to beat Toronto Wolfpack to promotion before winning 10 games in London's only season in Super League.

Ward, who spent the 2006 campaign with the Tigers, is currently the defence coach at rugby union club Rosslyn Park.

Six games does not leave a lot of time to conjure some magic but Ward would back himself to make a difference.