IT’S hard to imagine many Hull KR stars banging down Willie Peters’ door insisting they want to play against Lock Lane.
But winger Noah Booth is desperate to feature – given that he grew up playing for the Castleford amateurs and still lives just around the corner.
Rovers begin their Challenge Cup defence with a third-round tie against them on Friday.
Booth explained to League Express: “It is a bit of a weird feeling.
“There’s a few lads I played with who’ll be playing for Lock Lane, like Leyton Davies and Taylor Baddeley.
“But I played them in the Challenge Cup last year as well with Hunslet – it’s pretty mad to think a year on that I could be playing against them again.
“It was only five years ago I was in the Lock Lane team. I left when I was 16 after having played all my junior stuff there.
“My dad used to coach at Lane. When I was a kid, I used to go every Saturday afternoon with him to watch them.
“It’s a real tight-knit community and everyone does everything for everyone.
“So to play against them for my professional club, who are obviously the treble winners, would be surreal.”
But his dad, ex-Hunslet prop Craig Booth, will have mixed feelings going into the clash, which has been switched to Sewell Group Craven Park.
Booth added: “My dad actually sponsors them because he’s got a pub – The Houghton – and they’re always coming in after games on a Saturday.
“I still live at home so I know pretty much all of them.”
Booth scored seven tries in six games for Hull KR last season after joining from Wakefield Trinity almost a year ago to the day.
He knows he has a battle for a spot, given that Joe Burgess and Tom Davies are ahead of him.
But the 21-year-old said: “They’re both England internationals, and for me, it’s about me pushing them and getting the best out of them – and them helping me as well with my career.
“I’m only young and I’ve hopefully got many more years in me, so to learn from them is unbelievable.”