Castleford’s head coach Ryan Carr will miss Friday’s Super League match against Hull KR due to personal reasons, the club confirmed on Thursday. The Australian coach, who is in his first season leading the Tigers, will step away temporarily from his duties ahead of the game at OneBore Stadium.

In Carr’s absence, the team will be led by a newly formed leadership group consisting of director of rugby Chris Chester, along with coaches Rob Nickolay and Scott Murrell. Former Castleford player Adrian Vowles, the club’s first Man of Steel award winner in 1999, will also be providing support to the coaching staff as he returns to the club this week for a function. Castleford acknowledged Vowles’s involvement and expressed gratitude for his assistance.

Carr joined Castleford before the start of the current season on a three-year contract after working as an assistant coach at St George Illawarra Dragons, where he was under head coach Shane Flanagan. Since taking over the Tigers, Carr has overseen seven wins from 21 Super League games, with the team positioned 11th on the league table. Castleford’s recent form has been challenging, as they have lost five of their last six matches.

During his tenure, Carr facilitated several significant signings from the Dragons for the upcoming season, including Damien Cook, Tyrell Sloan, and Matt Feagai, signaling plans for the club’s future development. While the club clarified that Carr’s absence is due to personal reasons and not related to any other issues, no further details were provided.

The Tigers will now look to maintain their Super League campaign momentum without Carr on the sidelines as they prepare to face Hull KR later this week.