Castleford Tigers: Hopes high for the return of Tigers' Nathan Massey

Massey suffered a dislocated kneecap in last Saturday’s Ladbrokes Challenge Cup sixth round win over Salford Red Devils, but the joint went back into place immediately and Powell described the injury as “not too bad”.

The coach was due to name an initial 19-man squad for Thursday evening’s derby this afternoon.

He said: “We will assess him (today) and see where he’s at.

“We will see whether he can run.

“He came in (yesterday) and looked okay.

“We need to check on him, but potentially he might be alright.”

Massey was able to walk off the field after being hurt and Powell added: “Sometimes if you don’t do too much damage in there, these injuries are not too bad.”

Powell will also make a late decision on former Leeds academy scrum-half Luke Gale, who missed the Cup tie due to a hamstring problem.

The coach indicated it is likely Gale will be included in the initial squad and he said: “We will see how he goes through the week.

“He came in (yesterday) and had treatment and we will have to have a look and see how he is.

“If he trains okay he will be in there.”

Tigers will be bidding for a third win in as many visits to Headingley Carnegie.

Powell’s men are eighth in the table and another victory would boost their chances of featuring in the Super-8s and leave Rhinos at least six points adrift with just nine games remaining in the regular season.