Castleford Tigers players prepare to hear some 'home truths' in build-up to Catalans game

​Last has suffered defeats in his first two games since his appointment as head coach on a permanent basis and after promise shown in the first of the matches against Hull KR a second half blow out saw the Tigers lose 30-6 at Leigh Leopards – conceding 24 unanswered points after the break.

It has led to mutterings already among Cas fans about whether the club has made the right decision in opting for Last to replace Lee Radford, but he is promising improvements for Friday’s game against the Dragons.

He said: “We’ve got to lick our wounds.

"We’ve got to get them off the canvas, review it, speak with some home truths and make sure we learn from what happened and try to make some improvements before we play Catalans on Friday.

"We are just not dealing with the questions teams are asking us. I thought Leigh’s key players really stepped up for them and came up with some significant plays.

"We are not coming up with enough smart plays at the right time and Leigh were able to pick us apart because our energy levels were depleted.

"There’s some big lessons to learn and we need to learn them quickly.”

There was some good news for the Tigers with no new injuries from the game, but they will once again be without winger Greg Eden for the Catalans match as he faces at least a month out with a calf muscle problem.

Outside-back Mahe Fonua is in line to return, however, and is likely to be restored to the wing position after he missed the last game on compassionate leave.

Last is set to receive some coaching help with the appointment of an assistant to work alongside his current number two Scott Murrell.

He explained: “A couple of guys who actually applied for the (head coaching) job have expressed an interest so I've had some chats with them.

“We're having a look within the game as well. I don't want to rush it. It's an important appointment.”