GRIX JOINS CAS COACHING STAFF

Castleford Tigers are pleased to announce the appointment of Simon Grix as Assistant Coach ahead of the 2027 Betfred Super League season.

Grix will bring a wealth of experience to the Tigers, having enjoyed a successful career both as a player and coach across the professional game.

Born in Halifax, Grix began his playing career with his hometown club before making the move to Warrington Wolves, where he went on to make more than 160 appearances. During his time at Warrington, Grix established himself as a versatile and highly competitive forward, while also representing Ireland at international level. He was part of Warrington sides that lifted the Challenge Cup on three occasions.

Following his playing career, Grix returned to Halifax and began his coaching journey, guiding Halifax to the Challenge Cup Semi-Finals in 2019, the first second tier club to make the final four since 2006. His time at the Panthers culminated in silverware in 2023, as he guided Fax to victory in the 1895 Cup Final at Wembley, defeating Batley Bulldogs 12-10.

Grix then stepped up to Super League level with Hull FC, joining the club's coaching staff in 2023 and gaining further experience working within a full-time environment. The 40-year-old now joins Castleford with a wealth of knowledge of the game, experience of coaching at both Championship and Super League level, and a strong reputation for player development and high standards.

"I am extremely privileged and excited to be joining a club with great history, which has strong connections to its community in what is a rugby league stronghold", said Grix. "Timing counts for a lot in sport and the club has been doing it tough over the last few years, but the timing feels right to be joining a club with such potential."

"There are a couple of familiar faces in the playing group I am looking forward to catching up with, along with some old mates within the club. There have been a number of additions to the squad announced, which not only Cas fans will be excited by but fans across Super League also, I imagine. At the upper end of the age and experience range we have Damian Cook for example, whom has a wonderful CV and his qualities on and off the pitch will be invaluable for the group.  Equally, I am looking forward to working with the younger players such as Rooney and Qareqare, who have shown great potential, as we develop a squad for Super League.  The owners and club leadership are ambitious and intent on closing the gap with those above as we move forward and look to climb the ladder."

"My time in Hull was generally enjoyable with some big twists and turns along the way.  The staff I worked with were great but change is inevitable in sport and I was and am ready for it. I had put feelers out and spoke to a few people to see what options were out there and Cas felt right.  Initially, I spoke with Ryan and Chris and got a good feeling for the club and their realistic, progressive vision they shared for the team and club.  It won't be easy by any means, the challenge makes it exciting, but there is so much scope for improvement and growth at Cas.  I am looking forward to playing my part in building a stronger team and club."

When questioned on areas where he feels the Tigers need to improve the most, Grix got straight to the point.

"I have taken more interest as the season has gone on so my opinion is from afar and without the detail, but you can't get away from the obvious; defence.  That's an area of individual and collective improvement. Cas have carried the reputation of being a good attacking side and scoring points hasn't been too much of an issue over the years. Like all teams, we will need a strong pre-season where we will build trust as a group and work extremely hard in our application and approach to all aspects but improving our defence is imperative to build a grittiness that makes us hard to beat."  

Castleford Director of Rugby Chris Chester believes Grix's experience and knowledge will be a valuable addition to the Tigers' coaching structure ahead of the 2027 season.

Chester said: "I’m Really pleased to get Simon Grix into the club for 2027. Grixy has a lot of experience in the game having coached in both the Championship and Super League. He is a good English coach and I’m looking forward to him starting in November with the new squad and our new coaching set up."

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