The 1990s began successfully for Castleford; back-to-back Yorkshire Cup victories in the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons and a Regal Trophy success in 1994 made up the West Yorkshire side's trophies in this decade - though Castleford fell at the final hurdle of the Challenge Cup in 1992. Though Castleford rarely challenged for league trophies, they ended the '90s with an average 5.6 finish in the table. Furthermore, with the advent of Super League in 1996, the newly-branded Castleford Tigers came within a whisker of both the Grand Final and Challenge Cup Final in 1999.
From 1988 to 1993, Australian Darryl van der Velde coached the side, then local boy John Joyner took over the reins until 1997. It was left to another Aussie, Stuart Raper, to coach the Tigers for the remaining years of the 1990s. Raper departed the club in 2001.
Castleford had some brilliant players in the 1990s and some have been incredibly difficult to miss out. The likes of St John Ellis, Tony Kemp, Danny Orr, Dale Fritz and Richie Blackmore are unlucky not to make the list, but the wealth of talent at Castleford in this decade means that others just have to be named in front of them.
Graham Steadman
This man is first on the list for a good reason: he was the lynchpin of the Castleford side for much of the '90s.
Born on Friday 8 December, 1961 in Knottingley, Graham Steadman's first club was York - a club which he played at for four years before he moved to Featherstone in 1986. After three years at Featherstone, Steadman joined Castleford in 1989 for a then world record £170,000 transfer fee. At Castleford, the full-back/stand-off made 237 appearances, scoring 121 tries and kicking 174 goals and eight drop-goals to give him a total points haul of 480 in his eight years at the club.
It was whilst Steadman was at Castleford that he won 10 Great Britain caps, scoring three tries and kicking three goals for the national side. Steadman was a key figure in Castleford's Yorkshire Cup winning successes in 1990-91 and 1991-92 as well as the Regal Trophy Final in 1994 where Castleford demolished pre-match favourites Wigan 33-2 in what was a remarkable victory.
The £170,000 that the club invested in the livewire full-back/half-back paid off handsomely as Steadman became one of the most exciting players in the country in the 1990s as his scintillating pace and excellent rugby brain helped propel Castleford to cup glory.
Lee Crooks
Born on 18 September 1963, bad boy Lee Crooks had enjoyed spells with hometown club Hull FC, Australian sides Western Suburbs Magpies and Balmain Tigers and Leeds before a move to Castleford materialised in 1990. On the field, Crooks was one of the most formidable forwards in the game, but off it, he was often in the headlines for the wrong reasons. Yet, a move to Castleford reignited his career. Crooks captained Castleford to back-to-back Yorkshire Cup successes in the early '90s as well as the Regal Trophy triumph in 1994.
Crooks especially shone in the latter, scoring a magnificent try as well as kicking six goals as Castleford tore Wigan apart.
The 6 ft 1, 101kg prop forward played 222 games for the club, scoring just eight tries, but kicking 596 goals and one drop-goal. He therefore ended his career at Castleford with a mighty 1265 points. Whilst at Hull FC, Crooks became the youngest ever Great Britain Test forward and he followed that up with seven more appearances for GB whilst at Castleford - including three on the Lions' tour of Australasia in 1992 - as well as an England cap. A barnstorming prop forward with a frightening goal-kicking accuracy, Crooks led his team from the front and was at the heart of everything that Castleford did well in his seven years at the club.
Tawera Nikau
Born in Huntly, New Zealand on 1 January 1961, Tawera Nikau played his early career with New Zealand side Otahuhu Leopards before moving to England. York Wasps (dissolved in 2002 with the City Knights taking their place) was his first club on these shores, with Sheffield Eagles his second from 1989. In 1991, Nikau made the switch to Yorkshire rivals Castleford; it was an inspired move.
Whilst in West Yorkshire, Nikau made a reputation for himself as one of the most feared back-rowers in the game. Skilful, athletic and incredibly powerful, Nikau became one of Castleford's best ever overseas imports, helping the club to a Yorkshire Cup success in 1991-92, a Challenge Cup Final in 1992 and a Regal Trophy victory in 1994 - the latter in which the New Zealander registered a delightful effort after playing a one-two with fellow Kiwi Richie Blackmore.
From 1989 to 1987, Nikau registered 19 appearances for his country, scoring four tries in the process. The vibrant Kiwi left Castleford in 1996 with 25 tries and 165 appearances to his name. But, the legacy that he left on the club is still living on today; the Castleford fans that remember him playing at Wheldon Road still hold him in the highest regard and those that are too young to remember him have heard about him from their parents. Nikau's legacy also lives on in Rugby League today; he was one of the very first skilled back-rowers that could offload whilst still carrying defenders with him and one that had a ball-carrying game which would not look out of place two decades on.
Dean Sampson
A hero amongst Castleford fans, Dean "Diesel" Sampson was born on 27 June 1967 in the Castleford area. Sampson started his career at Stanley Rangers before he moved to Castleford in 1986. The powerful 6 ft forward made his debut for the club in 1987 and was an ever-present throughout the 1990s, being part of the 1990-91 and 1991-92 Yorkshire Cup winning sides as well as the Challenge Cup losing team in 1992. Sampson also played a vital role in Castleford's Regal Trophy run which ended in a triumphant 33-2 victory over Wigan in 1994.
If anything, Sampson improved as the '90s went on, consolidating his reputation as one of the greatest props in the country after the creation of Super League in 1996.
He was given national recognition in 1995 as he was called up to the England side - he would make five appearances and score three tries over a four-year period - whilst he also earned a solitary Great Britain cap in 1999 after what was arguably his best season in a Castleford shirt.
The club made both the Challenge Cup semi-final and the Super League elimination final in 1999, coming within a whisker of creating history - the Tigers lost the former to London Broncos in heartbreaking fashion 27-33 and the latter to St Helens 36-6. For his efforts that year, Sampson was included in the Super League Dream Team.
After playing 431 times for Castleford and scoring 68 tries, Sampson finally hung up his boots in 2003 - although he made one final hurrah in 2005, appearing against Hull Dockers in the Challenge Cup.
An absolute monster of a prop forward, Sampson will go down in Castleford history as one of the best forwards to ever don the shirt. The fact that he also played the whole of his career with the club - though he had a dalliance with Australian side Gold Coast Chargers in 1990 as well as Parramatta Eels in 1995 - has made Diesel one of the most revered players to ever play for the club amongst the Castleford faithful.
Adrian Vowles
Though Adrian Vowles spent just four years at Castleford between 1997 and 2001 - and added six more appearances between 2003 and 2005 - he is often given the tag of being the best import the Castleford club have ever brought to the club. Born in Cunnamulla, Queensland, Australia on 30 May 1971, Vowles became an instant hit in Rugby League, winning Player of the Year in his debut season with the Gold Coast Seagulls as well as earning a Queensland representative cap in the 1994 State of Origin series.
In 1997, he swapped the sunny shores of Townsville (where his club North Queensland Cowboys played) for the mining town of Castleford. Such a change in culture and atmosphere meant that Vowles would take time to settle. But when the loose-forward hit his straps, boy did Castleford reap the rewards. "The Assassin" - as he was aptly nicknamed - was one of the toughest and most durable forwards in Super League.
In fact, his impact on the Castleford club was so great that he was named in the Super League Dream Team (alongside Sampson) and Man of Steel in 1999 - the first Tigers' player to receive the award since its creation in 1977 - as he became so close to steering Castleford to both Challenge Cup and Super League finals.
At Castleford, Vowles played 148 times, scoring 33 tries and kicking one goal and one drop-goal.
A true servant to the club, Vowles adopted Castleford as his home and the people reciprocated. Because of how he spilled blood, sweat and tears for the shirt despite being born thousands of miles away, he was and is one of the club's most popular players from the Super League era. His heart is evidently still with Castleford after returning in 2005 to propel the club back to Super League and is still a massive follower of the club on social media. Castleford fans would, one day, love to see him return to the club if just for a holiday.
