Ryan Carr has made his first big selection call of his Castleford Tigers reign, with the latest squad number reveal hinting at a change to the club’s best 13.
The club have opted to reveal one shirt number per day throughout December, with their latest announcement confirming that Joe Westerman will remain at the club in 2026. However, he will seemingly have a change in role.
It was unconfirmed whether Westerman would be at the club next year, with Castleford never announcing that he had re-signed. However, reports elsewhere stated he had signed a new deal, with that now proven to be the case.
A former Super League Young Player of the Year, the 36-year-old won that award in 2008, as he broke onto the scene with Castleford in the late 2000’s. Moves to Hull FC, Warrington and Toronto Wolfpack in his career followed, before he returned to Wheldon Road in 2022.
He is just four appearances away from reaching 400 in Super League, and is only second to Ryan Hall on most top flight appearances by a current player.
However, the Tigers stalwart will have a new role at the club in 2026, after being given the number 16 jersey. This means he has lost the 13 jersey he has donned since he returned, and will likely feature from the bench next year.
What this also means is that there will be, on paper, a new first-choice loose forward at the club, which is interesting given there is no senior players at the club that are natural in that position. Liam Horne would have been the favourite to take that spot, but he was released from his contract and joined Leigh Leopards this off-season.
Castleford Tigers potential loose forward candidates in 2026
Now, squad numbers obviously don’t confirm or deny what the starting line-up will be every week, but Westerman moving from the 13 jersey is pretty telling of how Carr plans to use him in the upcoming season.
Whilst his work rate and efforts can’t be questioned, Carr will want to adopt a faster style of play, and the 36-year-old won’t be able to perform as well in his position for long minutes, as he has done this year.
With that in mind, here is who could potentially move into that role, and there are a number of candidates he could run with.
George Lawler is arguably the favourite, with the former Hull KR man coming through the ranks at hooker before moving to the pack. The 30-year old played in the role in Westerman’s absence in three of the last seven games of the season. His ability with ball in hand could be something that Carr leans on in 2026.
Joe Stimson is another player with prior experience at 13, with the former 114-time NRL player providing both quality and experience since arriving at the club in June. Like Greacen, he is more natural in the front row, however he can play at loose forward, and did so on three occasions in the Queensland Cup in 2025, prior to his arrival at the Tigers.
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