Brian McDermott has admitted Thursday’s huge Leeds Rhinos v Castleford Tigers clash is the biggest game between the two sides in years, as the prospect of top spot in Super League is on offer.
The winners will top the table with a victory on Thursday, and McDermott is under no illusions about the task ahead of his side, saying that although Cas have “no superstars”, they are a team full of talent.
“They’re in good form, and whilst I’ve only been head coach at Leeds a short while compared to history, this is probably the biggest Leeds v Castleford clash we’ve had since I’ve been coaching,” McDermott said.
“This is the best form they’ve had for a number of years; maybe since the early days of Terry Matterson – but they’ve even managed to exceed those days in all fairness.
“They’ve got no superstars but they’ve got some very good players. There’s guys like Luke Dorn, and people such as Finn and Sneyd who are becoming superstars in their own right.
McDermott pointed to Leeds’ narrow win over Castleford earlier in the season as one of their best wins of the campaign, and admits it proved to him that Cas were the real deal.
“It wasn’t an easy game over there; we weren’t dominant throughout the game and we regard that as one of our better wins all year. It was a good indicator that they were going to be around the mix.”
