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Castleford Tigers: First-team places are up for grabs - Millward
COMEBACK: Kirk Dixon, with ball, will return to action following long-term injury when Castleford face Huddersfield.
New boss Ian Millward will get an initial indication if his methods are working when Castleford Tigers take on Huddersfield Giants in a pre-season game at Probiz Coliseum tonight.
It is Tigers’ first full-scale trial, after a fringe squad beat Bradford Bulls on Boxing Day.
The match comes more than two months into pre-season and three weeks and a day before Tigers’ opening Super League fixture.
Millward has selected from players who will be available for his competitive debut – in front of the Sky TV cameras at Salford City Reds – and said places are already up for grabs.
The former St Helens, Wigan and Leigh boss is looking for evidence of improvements in all areas against a team expected to be among the contenders for silverware this year.
“We have picked everyone who’s fit and available for selection for the Salford game,” said the new coach.
Cohesion
“There’s no trialists, they are all people putting their hand up for the first game in Super League and we will be looking for a bit of cohesion from the training paddock, in attack and defence.
“We are also looking to get through with no injuries and I am really keen to see where we are, with and without the ball.”
He added: “Huddersfield are a team that throw a lot of options at you so I want to see where we are defensively.
“The club averaged nearly 30 points against last year and we need to see if some of the things we are trying to correct are working.
“We’ll also be looking at some things we are trying to change on attack. There are some changes and when players are under fatigue they can go back to old habits.”
Millward has selected his strongest-available line-up for a game which will see winger Kirk Dixon (shoulder) and forward Jake Emmitt (knee) both return from long-term injury.
Veteran Ryan Hudson will start at hooker after recovering from a head wound which kept him out of the Boxing Day match and Richard Owen could be on the bench, if he passes a fitness test on a back problem.
“We’ve probably got six players still to come in,” said the coach. “Five of them are forwards – four front-rowers and a back-rower – and one of them is a winger.
“We are probably short on numbers at the moment, but there’s no point rushing out and signing a forward because we have got five to come in.”
Ryan Shaw, signed on a month’s loan from Warrington Wolves, will make his first appearance for Tigers off the substitutes’ bench.
Giants’ squad includes back Greg Eden, who joined them after making three senior appearances for Tigers last year.
Tigers under-20s visit Gateshead Thunder on Sunday and the senior side will make the short trip to Wakefield Trinity Wildcats for their final full-scale practice match in nine days’ time.
Castleford Tigers: McGoldrick, Clare, Griffin, Arundel, Dixon, Chase, Orr, Nash, Hudson, Massey, Holmes, Snitch, Jones. Subs Mitchell, Emmitt, Shaw, Davies, Atkinson, Thompson, Owen, Milner, Clark.
Huddersfield Giants from: Grix, Cudjoe, Gilmour, McGillvary, Brough, Crabtree, Robinson, Mason, Lunt, Wardle, Chan, Lee, George, Fairbank, A Walker, Molloy, Cording, Sarsfield, Eden, Johnson, F Walker.
Referee: James Child (Dewsbury).
Kick-off: Tonight, 8pm.
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