Castleford Tigers head coach Ryan Carr has been encouraged by what he has seen from his players in pre-season training so far.
​Carr has been handed his first head coach role in Super League with the Wheldon Road club and is happy with the way things have been going as the team prepares for the challenge of a tough top flight campaign with the target of finishing higher up the table than in recent years.
Carr does not like to select individuals he has been most impressed by and talks about the togetherness he is aiming to foster with the squad.
He said: “I’ve been really impressed with the group as a whole.
“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.”
Carr added: “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.”
Carr’s first game in charge will now be in the New Year after the proposed Christmas friendly with Featherstone Rovers was postponed with the latter going into administration.
The Tigers will play St Helens on January 25, in Matty Lees’ testimonial match and hope to have more pre-season games arranged shortly.
