Castleford Tigers’ interim coach Chris Chester insists Tex Hoy remains part of the club’s plans for 2026 despite the impending arrival of Blake Taaffe next season.
Taaffe is the first big name to sign for the Tigers for next year, with the Canterbury Bulldogs star joining Castleford on a three-year contract.
Capable of playing both fullback and half-back, Taaffe’s arrival has led to questions over whether Hoy has a role to play in the new system that will be brought in by incoming coach Ryan Carr for 2026.
But Chester has insisted that as of right now, Hoy will be part of the squad ahead of his return to the team on Thursday night against Leigh Leopards.
“He’s contracted,” Chester said.
“Tex is a player that for us, when he plays, he’s a very influential player for us. He’s back this week which I’m over the moon about and he’ll make a big difference for us. He’s in our plans for 2026, he’s contracted and we’ve got a really good spine for 2026. I think the coach is going to have a few headaches which I don’t have too many of myself at the minute.”
Chester admitted he was thrilled to land Taaffe’s signature, having previously looked at a deal for the playmaker when he was in charge of recruitment at Leigh Leopards.
He said: “He’s a player I looked at when I was at Leigh. A real good athletic fullback. plenty of speed to burn but he’s just as comfortable in the hales. He played with Tex Hoy and played in the New South Wales under-20s at half. He’s got something we lack here.”
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