Castleford Tigers head of rugby Chris Chester has insisted there is still more transfer business to be done at the club in terms of incomings and outgoings for the 2026 season.
Ahead of Ryan Carr’s first year in charge, Castleford have dramatically overhauled their squad following a disappointing few years. Ten new names have been unveiled so far, with the likes of Brock Greacen, Blake Taaffe, Mikaele Ravalawa, Semi Valemei and Tom Weaver all joining from overseas.
Jordan Lane and Jack Ashworth have signed from Hull FC, Renouf Atoni and Liam Hood have crossed West Yorkshire to sign from Wakefield while Darnell McIntosh has arrived from Leigh Leopards.
But Chester has warned that Castleford’s transfer business is by no means done – with some contracted players expected to leave in the coming weeks as more new faces arrive.
He said: “There’s still a bit more recruitment to be done. There are some players that we’ve identified at other clubs that we want to try and bring in. I would say there will be a few people that will walk out the door as well.
“We still want to freshen the squad up. We’ve got 11 or 12 new players and that might be 13 or 14 new players in the next couple of weeks.
“That’s up to me to sort out and work on behind the scenes. I know I’ve got the right man to bring that group of players together. It’s my job to make sure I provide him with the personnel for us to achieve our goals.”
When asked what areas he was still looking to bolster Castleford’s squad, Chester said: “All areas.
“We’re looking at an outside back and another middle. They’re few and far between at the moment, but we’re hopeful that in the next two to three weeks, there will be a little bit of movement in the playing squad.
“I’m more than confident and happy with the squad we’ve put together. If we go into the 2026 season with the squad we’ve got now, I’ll be more than happy.
“But we want to try and freshen it up a little bit. We’re working on that in the background. We’re looking at all positions. We just want to bring people in who will improve this team. That’s the key to it all.”