Matterson: Youngsters can stake first team claims

Castleford coach Terry Matterson is backing his young stars to shine in the Boxing Day friendly against Bradford.

Matterson has named a young squad, although new signing Steve Snitch is among a handful of first-teamers on show.

The Australian coach said: said: “You can never read too much into these games, but both lines up’s will be pretty strong and with the season starting a week earlier this year, we probably see the match as more key to our preparation than it might have been in the past.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how the young guys go because there could be a chance for one or two to emerge throughout the season, so this gives them an opportunity to put a ‘stake in the ground’ at an early stage.

“Looking at the Bulls side, they have some good new signings on show and like ours there will be a mix of youth and experience so it should be an interesting 80 minutes.

Conditions might dictate how the game flows but hopefully it might warm up a little over the next couple of days because for the guys taking the field it’s going to be pretty cold, although that should ensure that they all want to be involved whilst they are on the park!”