Andy Last taking inspiration from Leeds Rhinos as he waits for Castleford Tigers to 'catch fire'

The Tigers remain without a permanent head coach following Lee Radford's sudden departure and are still looking for their first win after four straight defeats.

Furthermore, Castleford have seen outside back Jake Mamo retire unexpectedly at the age of 28 due to medical reasons.

A slow start is not terminal in the play-off era, as the Rhinos showed again last season under Rohan Smith.

"Rohan came in and the players bought into his new ideas," said Last.

"They got an upturn in their results and went all the way to the Grand Final.

“It is a worry at the moment because we’ve played four games and got four losses but the season’s a long one.

“If we can get a couple of good performances and a couple of wins, the team is capable of catching fire and going on a good run.

“We are taking it one game at a time and we can’t look past Leeds. They are a very, very good side.

"I have the utmost respect for Leeds as a club but we’ve got to make sure we deliver.”

Last endured an inauspicious start to his temporary reign after watching Castleford sink to a 36-6 defeat at Huddersfield Giants.

The England assistant coach remains hopeful of landing the job on a permanent basis.

“The club are working their way through the applications which have come in – and there’s been plenty of them," he said.

“It’s a club that’s held in high regard, one with great history and one I am proud to lead at this moment in time.

“Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to lead it moving forward, but the best way I can confirm the opportunity I’ve got at the moment is by getting the players to play better.

“Ultimately they will decide whether I get the job. Hopefully they play well against Leeds, we get the result and that might get me a week closer to getting the job.”