Cas vs Salford: Match Preview

Daryl Powell’s men will be looking to bounce back after a hard-fought encounter against league leaders Catalans Dragons ended in a 6-16 defeat, but more importantly they will be looking to build some momentum ahead of the Challenge Cup Final just six days later.

SUNDAY RUGBY AT WHELDON ROAD

Supporters are being welcomed to The Mend-A-Hose Jungle for the game, the first time on a Sunday since March 2020,  but it will be a different matchday experience than most are used to, face coverings are to be worn at all times in the stadium, social distancing in your social bubbles is required, and specific entry points for each stand.

AIMING FOR THREE IN A ROW

Sunday’s clash will be the third time the sides have come up against each other already this season with Cas looking to secure a hat-trick of victories over the Red Devils.

The pair’s first meeting this campaign was at the AJ Bell Stadium back at the start of May, with Greg Eden, Liam Watts, Cheyse Blair, and Jake Trueman all scoring in a 18-28 win.

Their next meeting was in the Challenge Cup quarter-final and this time it was a much tighter affair. It looked like the Tigers had booked their place in the Cup semi-final, however, in the closing seconds Lee Mossop somehow managed to get the ball down over his head to take the match in extra time. The first drop goal attempt came from Salford which was acrobatically blocked by McShane which then set Cas up inside the Red Devils’ 20 and it was Gareth O’Brien who was the Golden Point hero once again.

We hope Sunday’s clash will be another entertaining encounter between the two teams.

TIGERS TEAM NEWS

Castleford Head Coach Daryl Powell has called up four Tigers Academy players who have been allocated their first senior squad numbers.

Caelum Jordan, Jack Sadler, Adam Rusling, and Nathan Magee, who alongside Cain Robb, could be set to make their top-flight debuts on Sunday. All five young players have come through the youth system at the club, making a total of 13 players named in this 21-man squad declaration as Castleford Tigers Academy products.

Senior squad men Grant Millington, Cheyse Blair, Jesse Sene-Lefao, and Greg Eden are also up for selection following injuries.

THE OPPOSITION

Salford are coming into the fixture at The Jungle after a two-week layoff due to positive Covid cases at the club which saw their matches against Wakefield and Hull FC postponed.

Their last match was on the 27th of June at home to Leeds Rhinos which ended in a 12-38 defeat and will have a direct impact on the Cas match as captain Lee Mossop was sent off for landing a punch on Konrad Hurrell. The Red Devils’ #8 was handed a two-match ban which will see him side-lined and miss the Castleford clash.

The Greater Manchester club’s form before their enforced break was a mixed bag as before the Rhinos defeat they secured a low scoring 9-8 win at Huddersfield Giants but took a 40-4 loss in the game prior to Hull KR.

As their results show, Marshall’s side can be unpredictable and will be aiming to bring the heat when they visit Castleford on Sunday.

POWELL’S PREVIEW

Head Coach Powell is looking forward to seeing the club's youngsters take centre stage on Sunday. In his pre-match preview, he commented: "It's an exciting young squad, we had our (Elite) Licence taken away and then given back for the Academy and this gives us a great opportunity to showcase these young fellas. I'm really excited to see them play!"

WATCH Daryl's full preview on Tigers TV

THE SQUADS

Castleford Tigers: 4. Michael Shenton, 7. Danny Richardson, 8. Liam Watts, 10. Grant Millington, 11. Oliver Holmes, 12. Cheyse Blair, 17. Alex Foster, 19. Tyla Hepi, 20. James Clare, 21. Jesse Sene-Lefao, 23. Greg Eden, 26. Lewis Bienek, 27. Lewis Peachey, 28. Brad Martin, 29. Sam Hall, 32. Cain Robb, 33. Jason Qareqare, 34. Caelum Jordan, 35. Jack Sadler, 36. Adam Rusling, 37. Nathan Magee

Salford Red Devils: 1. Morgan Escare, 2. Ken Sio, 4. Krisnan Inu, 9. Andy Ackers, 11. Ryan Lannon, 12. Pauli Pauli, 15. Oliver Roberts, 16. Greg Burke, 17. Josh Johnson, 18. Chris Atkin, 20. Harvey Livett, 22. Rhys Williams, 24. Matty Costello, 25. Jack Ormondroyd, 29. Dec Patton, 31. Ben Davies, Dan Norman 

HOW TO WATCH

Season Ticket Holders can watch this game live on Our League with their existing Our League season ticket code.

Further details on how to redeem and watch using your unique Season Ticket code are available here. Please note requests for codes that have not been received need to be sent to ticketing@castigers.com no later than 48 hours prior to a match.