Castleford Tigers confirm Ryan Carr departure for personal reasons

Castleford Tigers have confirmed that head coach Ryan Carr has left the Super League club for personal reasons. BBC Sport reported the departure on Friday, two weeks after the Australian was stood down from his duties. Castleford did not disclose further details about the circumstances behind the decision.

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The announcement concludes a short period of uncertainty around Carr's position. Director of rugby Chris Chester said last week that Castleford were following a process after Carr was stood down. The club has now confirmed the separation rather than setting out a timetable for his possible return.

Carr, 38, was appointed in August 2025 on a three-year contract after working as an assistant coach with NRL side St George Illawarra Dragons. He won seven of his 21 Super League matches in charge. Castleford are ninth in the 14-team table at the time of his departure.

In its statement, the club thanked Carr for his work and offered its best wishes to him and his family. Owner Martin Jepson said he was sorry that Carr had left. He also said Castleford had faced a difficult set of circumstances and had not been able to provide supporters with more information, while maintaining that the club's actions were taken in its best interests.

Chester has led the Tigers in their past two matches. Last week, before Carr's departure was confirmed, he said Castleford were not actively searching for a new head coach. Jepson has now confirmed that Jason Netherton will assist Chester and Luke Robinson through the remaining four games of the campaign.

The Tigers' next match is away to St Helens on Saturday. They enter that fixture after a victory at Hull FC last week. The club's confirmed arrangement places Chester, Netherton and Robinson in charge for the closing stretch, but Castleford have not announced a longer-term head-coaching appointment.