On the face of it, Castleford Tigers have been handed one of the toughest assignments in Super League in the opening round – a home date with fallen champions Wigan Warriors.
“Wigan have been a benchmark club in Super League over the last few years,” said Carr, whose side also face Toulouse Olympique and Huddersfield Giants in the early rounds. “But we’ve got just as much respect for all the teams we’re going to play this year.
We’re going to treat every game like the hardest of the year. As soon as you start looking at who you’re playing and changing your level of intensity and application, that’s when you get yourselves in trouble.
“I’m not a coach who puts games into blocks. For me, it’s what we do in training on any given day and how that’s going to impact how we play in round one.
That first opportunity in front of our home crowd is pivotal. It’s a really good chance for us to set the tone on who we’re going to be as a team.
Carr arrived late last month full of optimism but was stepping into the unknown having only seen the club from the outside.
A few weeks on, Carr is encouraged by the attitude and character of a squad he now knows first-hand.
“You’re always guessing before you get on the inside,” he said.
“I like to get to know them as people first. That’s the most important thing.
I’ve been really encouraged that the players we’ve got here are all really good people. That’s half the battle. If they’re a good person and willing to buy into something, we can all move forward together.
What’s struck me about the group is their hunger and willingness to improve.
“We’ve got two different groups: one that has been here for a while and another that are brand new to it. The boys who have been here previously really want to make change and the other guys have thrown themselves straight into the new culture we’re trying to build.”
Rather than observing in the background, Carr has led from the front in the early weeks of pre-season.
The Castleford players have been left in no doubt about Carr’s expectations and standards in an assertive start to his reign.
I’m not really the type of coach who sits back and observes,” added Carr. “I’m a hands-on coach.
“When you’re first starting and trying to develop something from day one, I like to make it as clear as I can from my mind to the playing group.
“Once the familiarity starts to build, that might change a little bit – but it’s my job to coach.
The boys have been really receptive to everything we’ve been trying to do from day one. We’ve tried to build the purpose behind it. The clarity we provide as a staff is important.
“I feel like the boys have a lot of belief in what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. That’s exciting.”
Pre-season is a time for players to impress and stake a claim for a starting shirt come February.
But Carr is not in the business of playing favourites in his bid to unite a club that have fallen on hard times in recent years.
I’ve been really impressed with the group as a whole,” he replied when asked which players had stood out in training.
“You’ll never get that out of me as a coach. It’s about us and not individuals. I’m not a big believer in putting someone on a pedestal above everyone else.
Everyone plays a role. Some have bigger roles than others but they’ve all got the same level of importance.
“I want the players and team to put the club and team above themselves. If I don’t do that, I’m not living by my own messaging.”
