Former Castleford Tigers boss Ryan Carr has sealed a return to the game, with NRL outfit Wests Tigers confirming his appointment as an assistant coach for 2027.

Carr took charge of Super League side Castleford ahead of 2026, penning a three-year deal as he arrived at The Jungle.

But come August, the Australian was stood down from his role amid an internal investigation, and 16 days later, he departed with immediate effect.

Having returned Down Under, it has not taken the 38-year-old long to landed his next job.

As first reported earlier this month, he will join Benji Marshall at Wests for 2027 – appointed as an assistant coach with a focus on the NRL side’s defence.

‘What appealed to me was his ability to connect to players and the way he thinks about his footy’

Sydney-born Carr has plenty of experience as an assistant having held the same role at South Sydney Rabbitohs, Cronulla Sharks and St George Illawarra Dragons previously.

His time in charge of Cas followed stints at the helm of Championship outfit Featherstone Rovers and NRL club St George, though the latter came in an interim appointment back in 2023.

Wests head coach Marshall said: “Ryan brings a wealth of knowledge and was highly impressive throughout the interview process.

“What appealed to me was his ability to connect to players and the way he thinks about his footy.

“He will be our defence coach and I’m excited about what he will bring to the team.”

Marshall’s side finished 15th on the NRL ladder in 2026, some ten competition points below the play-off spots.

Former Hull FC head coach Brett Hodgson and ex-England international Chris Heighington will remain as assistants for 2027, now joined by Carr.

Elsewhere, Wests have also announced the appointment of Mick Crawley – whose name is consistently in the mix whenever a vacancy emerges in Super League – as Pathways Coaching Director.

Having previously spent time as an assistant coach with North Queensland Cowboys, Newcastle Knights, Canberra Raiders and St George, Crawley will focus on connecting Wests’ youth programme with their first-grade setup.