Castleford prop Nathan Massey has revealed an extra motivational tool to make the cut for the Tigers this weekend – so he can go up against a member of his family!
Massey – who returned from a troublesome groin injury last weekend against Wigan – is the brother-in-law of Hull FC’s Jordan Thompson, himself a former Cas player. However, despite making a coy joke in reference to his preparation for the game at the weekend, Massey is expecting another tough affair as Castleford look to preserve their unbeaten record.
“Jordan is actually my brother-in-law – he’s married to my twin sister, Hannah. It’s going to be a bit of a funny one for the family, but I’m really looking forward to it,” Massey claimed.
“We’re really good friends, so I’ll probably nip into his before the game and have a coffee, and probably try and get the ins and outs of their team – but I’m sure he’ll be doing the same! It’ll be another really tough test though, and a real physical affair – so it should be a good game.”
As mentioned, last weekend’s 36-31 victory over Wigan ensured the Tigers are still unbeaten in this years First Utility Super League. Despite that, the 24-year-old insists that the squad can get even better, and claims that the standard is consistently rising in the camp.
“We’re pretty confident at the moment. Obviously we’re four from four, and I think we’ve shocked a few people given how well we’ve done. I don’t think we’ve shocked ourselves – because we had a great pre-season and Daryl has put a lot of confidence in the boys.
“We’ve a bigger squad to cope with the demands of Super League this year so competition and standards are always rising. We’re only four rounds in and we know there’s a long way to go; we’re just taking the season in small blocks.”
