Castleford Tigers' new defensive coach Brett Delaney demanding hard work from players

The Australian has been brought in by head coach Danny McGuire to try to instil the kind of steel that he helped Hull KR show in their rapid improvement in the last two years and he is up and running with players now coming up to a month into their pre-season training.

He is pleased with the way things are going so far and the way he has settled into his new surroundings after almost a decade as a player with Leeds Rhinos and more than two years as an assistant coach at Hull KR.

With regards to his coaching style, he said: "As a player I wasn’t the flashiest, more the hard working sort and I think as a coach I’m probably similar.

"I’m leading up the defensive aspect of the game and all I ask of my players is to work hard.

"Effort is non-negotiable for me, that’s probably number one for me. As long as I can see that from the lads, I’m happy as a coach and I think the fans will see that too this year.”

Delaney is putting the players through some tough sessions already.

He explained: “Obviously I’m leading up a lot of defensive drills out on the field. We’ve also been working really hard in our wrestling room and I’m going to make no apologies, they’ve been tough.

“Some of them players have been put in positions they probably haven’t been put in the past. I’m not going to make any apologies. I’ve come here to do a job and that’s to tighten up our D and that’s what I’m going to do.

“With that comes hard work, comes commitment and the boys are showing that this week, and last week in the wrestle room.

“They’ve been put in some tough situations, but they’ve come through the other end and coming through adversity and hard work and working together as a team and that, the quicker we can get that connection as a defensive unit the better we’ll be.”

"I just want to see that commitment and that desire to win and that starts from minute one to 80. I’ve seen glimpses of that in pre-season already. The boys have hung in there and that will transfer to what we do out there on the pitch.

"They’ve been put some dark places, especially in that wrestle room. But beyond them dark places is winning and that’s where we’ve got to take the players to. That equals results and wins for us.

"The fans will appreciate that when they see it on the field, when we’re defending or goal-line set after set after set and we just keep coming out.

"That’s built in pre-season, built in hard work, built with connecting and taking them to that dark place.”

Delaney set out his ambitions with Cas and why he teamed up again with head coach McGuire.

He added: “I want to win trophies and that’s why I am here. As a player it was awesome to win silverware and I want to do that as a coach.

"Obviously me and Maggsy are best mates and I’ve known him a long time.

"I first met him in 2006 on the Gold Coast so we go way back. I won some trophies with Maggsy as a player and also coached with him over at KR and he’s a leader.

"We’ve seen what he did as a player and he’ll transfer that as a coach so the dynamic of it is awesome.

"When the opportunity popped up for me to join him I pretty much snapped his hand off because I believe in his qualities. He’s a leader on and off the pitch.”