Castleford Tigers head coach Daryl Powell is ready for what he describes as a “massive” test for his side this Friday, as they lock horns with St Helens live on Sky Sports.
The Tigers and the Saints have been two of the early pacesetters in Super League 2014, and it promises to be a mouthwatering clash at what will be a packed Mend-A-Hose Jungle. And Powell believes it could be a defining evening for his side, who will know plenty about themselves after the clash.
“I think Saints have clearly been the best side this season so it’s a massive test,” Powell said.
“After this one we should know a fair bit more about ourselves. It’s certainly a big game for us. We can go top, but we just want to compete in every aspect of the game and to come out with the win would be enough for us.
“Every player is going to get tested. The physical challenge they present is bigger than any other in the competition so it’s going to be interesting to see how our middle unit match up.
“Walsh gives them a cutting edge in attack and his kicking game is pretty special. But I’ve watched quite a few of their games and there’s some areas we think we might be able to exploit. It’s a matter of us playing well, obviously we’ve got to defend well and apply some pressure to them.
“Leeds struggled to break them down so it’s a tough job, but I think we’ve been attacking particularly well this season and if we can apply our game we can cause them some trouble.”