Why Danny McGuire thinks his new No 2 at Castleford Tigers is one of the best in the business
FORMER Leeds Rhinos hero Brett Delaney was today hailed as one of rugby league’s “best defensive coaches” after being confirmed as assistant to new Castleford Tigers boss Danny McGuire.
The pair played together for eight seasons at Leeds and McGuire took Delaney to Hull KR as his assistant during a spell as interim-coach in 2022. Delaney was released from the final year of his Robins contract last Wednesday, two days before McGuire was confirmed as Tigers’ head-coach on a three-year deal.
Delaney, 39, played for Parramatta Eels and Gold Coast Titans in his home country of Australia and joined Rhinos in 2010. He went on to win three Super League titles with Leeds and the Challenge Cup twice and he and McGuire were teammates when Rhinos achieved a domestic treble nine years ago.
McGuire said: “In taking on the head-coach role it was essential to me I got the right person by my side and I'm really happy Brett has decided to join us at Castleford. In my opinion, he is one of the best defensive coaches in the game and will be a real asset to the club.
“He has a lot to bring to the table. The lads will benefit from his experience and coaching style and I'm really looking forward to working alongside him again”
Delaney added: “I’m looking forward to joining Cas and working with Magsy again. It will be a new challenge for me, with a new group. I’ll be leading on the defensive side of things and I’m looking forward to putting some different systems in place”