Castleford Tigers coach Daryl Powell believes his side laid down a marker for the new Super League season following their impressive victory at St Helens last weekend.
The Tigers won 22-6 at the Totally Wicked Stadium in a game featuring both sides’ strongest line-ups, leaving Powell full of confidence for the upcoming season.
And while he was quick to insist his side weren’t reading too much into it due to it being a pre-season friendly, he believes it was a significant result.
He told TotalRL: “It was obviously a trial game but I wanted that game against St Helens because we haven’t won there for 25 years.
“It’s significant for us in terms of building confidence and it was a genuine game; this is two weeks out from the start of the season against one of the best teams in the comp so we’ve got to take something from it. I think it was a bit of a marker we laid down; Saints will come out of it thinking that we’re not a bad side.”
Powell has also insisted that Mike McMeeken’s call-up to the England EPS squad is thoroughly deserved.
McMeeken missed a large portion of the 2016 season after suffering a leg injury midway through the year, but he has been included in the 31-man squad who will meet on regular occasions throughout this season prior to the World Cup.
And Powell – who has four players in that contingent with Luke Gale, Zak Hardaker and Michael Shenton – says McMeeken’s call-up is one he was especially pleased to see.
“He missed a large chunk of the season last year but he’s a very good player,” Powell said.
“He’s developing all the time and his confidence is getting better – and he’s a huge physical specimen. I’m very proud to have four players from my team in the England EPS group and we’ve got a growing history that we’re helping players get better and I think Mike falls firmly into that camp. It’s a deserved call-up as far as I’m concerned.”
