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Dixon’s back to a new Castleford Tigers era
Kirk Dixon.
Castleford’s comeback kid Kirk Dixon is confident he is over the injury which brought a premature end to his 2011 campaign.
Dixon made his Tigers return after major shoulder surgery in last Friday’s impressive pre-season win over Huddersfield Giants and is looking to back this up away to Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in five days’ time.
The goal-kicking winger is a key player for Tigers, having scored 37 tries and 182 goals in 87 Super League appearances.
“It was good to get the boots back on and get out there with the boys,” he said of his return against Huddersfield. “I was a bit rusty, but that’s to be expected after so long out.
“I felt fine, everything went really well. I needed it – you can train as much as you want, but you can’t replicate match fitness.
“It was good to be out there and I got through unscathed. I got a few bangs so that will give me a bit of confidence going into next week.
“Hopefully we can build on what we did on Friday going into the game against Wakefield and work on things we haven’t done for a while.”
Dixon hadn’t played since injuring his shoulder in Tigers’ Carnegie Challenge Cup semi-final defeat by Leeds Rhino on August 7 – though he only missed four competitive matches.
“I had a shoulder reconstruction,” said Dixon, who signed a new three-year contract just a month before the injury.
“It popped out; it went back in again but it needed a bit of tidying up.
“I missed the rest of last year after the Leeds game and it was a bit frustrating because the boys were playing well at the time.
“It was one of those things, but I’m glad to be back out there.”
Dixon has returned to a different set-up, with Ian Millward having replaced coach Terry Matterson and brought in his backroom staff.
“It’s has been a very big change,” said the Hull-based winger. “It has been good, I think we needed a change.
“The players, staff and the club have all bought into it and hopefully we will see the results on the field.
“Terry was here a while and sometimes things need freshening up. What Terry did for the club was really good, he took us to a semi-final last year and I think everyone knows we were really unfortunate not to be in the final.
“I think, like Terry said, it was the right time for him and probably the right time for the club to have a change.
“Ian has come in with a new mindset and a new way of doing things and everyone’s enjoying it. Hopefully we can do some good things on the field and give the fans something to shout about.”
For Dixon, the priority this season will be to get some games under his belt.
“I want to stay injury-free,” he said. “I also want to build on what I did last year and first and foremost, I want to get into the starting line-up.
“There’s a lot of competition. The young lads have really stepped up in pre-season and shown that they can play.
“You have got to get into the side first, then build on what you did last year – and hopefully as a club we can get into the play-offs.”
Millward was encouraged by his side’s display against Huddersfield, but is looking for them to step up another level in this weekend’s final first-team rehearsal.
-“All the tries we conceded were from kicks, apart from the last one which was a passing movement,” he said of the Giants game.
“That was really pleasing. We held our line pretty well and that was really good. The players are still coming to grips with what I want them to do and at times we looked a bit rusty, but at other times we were good.
“We have only got one friendly left because you can’t expose too many players to injury.
“I think we will still be rusty come the first couple of Super League games, but I like the way the guys are going about their business.
“I like their attitude and everything is positive.
“Everyone’s trying hard and doing some really good things but there’s a few things we need to keep working on.”
Tigers’ medical staff are checking on Steve Snitch, who suffered a slight shoulder injury in last Friday’s game.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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