Powell wants Cas to make history
Daryl Powell has urged his players to cement their place in Castleford history by ending the regular Super League season in first place.
The Tigers head into Friday’s game at Leeds six points clear at the top of the standings and Powell believes staying there would be a remarkable achievement for the club.
“We spoke about (not winning the top flight) and it would put this team down in Castleford history – why wouldn’t you get excited about that?” said Powell.
“It’s a great opportunity, but it’s not going to do it by itself. You’ve got to make sure that you do your jobs and don’t get rattled by anything.
“We’ve got the team to do it and hopefully when we get into the Super 8s we’ll start to get a few players back.
“We’re in a great place – we’re six points clear with five games to go until the split. Confidence is high, but we’re not getting carried away with that buffer.
“The league leader shield is a long way down the track and I don’t want to look that far ahead.
“Leeds have been winning games the last couple of weeks – they’ve beaten Featherstone and Wakefield, so they’re playing with some confidence.”
Cas have faced Leeds twice already this season, winning 66-10 back in March before recording a 29-18 victory at Magic Weekend.
“We’ve played them twice this year already so we know a fair bit about them,” added Powell.
“We know we can go to Headingley and win – it doesn’t hold any fears for us. It’ll be a difficult game though – the Magic Weekend game was a battle and we had to come up with some real pieces of class.”
Last week’s 32-24 defeat at Hull in the Challenge Cup ended the Tigers’ long unbeaten record, but Powell insists his team are capable of going on another similar run starting this weekend.
“The last time we lost we won eight straight, so something similar would be handy and would put us in a great spot,” said Powell.
“We just need to recognise where we’re at. The coaching staff have had a little bit of reflection, but it’s been all about Leeds – that’s where the focus needs to lie.”