Castleford Tigers boss hopeful over Super League return

Tigers’ 28-14 win over St Helens on March 15, which lifted them into second place in the table, was the final Betfred Super League game played before the competition was suspended owing to coronavirus.

Staff and players are now on furlough, but the government this week began the process of easing lockdown restrictions and says sporting events may be permitted, behind closed doors, from the start of next month.

Powell admitted: “We’re just trying to get a clear picture and find out what it [Super League’s resumption] is going to look like.”

He said: “You can see football working through the processes at the moment, trying to find out where they go with it and when they start.

“I am presuming we will wait and see what happens with that and then we can start moving forward with a clear picture of how football have gone about it, what sort of testing procedures need to be in place and how teams sequence back into training together - and the safety of everything which is obviously a big part of it.”

Of matches being played behind closed doors, Powell insisted: “The key thing is we get playing again.

“You have to look after the safety of all the athletes and staff, getting that right is important

“We don’t know what the release of lockdown in a staged way is going to look like and how that is going to hold firm so it is still a really difficult situation to work through, but we are hopeful we are can start to get training again on the back of what football do and start to piece together the season.”

Though he would like more information on what the plans are for the resumption, Powell stressed he understands how tough the situation is for the Rugby Football League (RFL).

“It is difficult for them,” he said. “It is difficult for them to put information out when it’s so uncertain.

“They have tried to garner opinions from different stakeholders.

“Personally, I think it could have been done a little bit earlier and I think coaches need to be asked a bit more directly. That could be a bit better, but it is very difficult for everybody at the moment and the RFL have done a great job in terms of securing the immediate future for rugby league clubs.

“I am not going to be overly critical of anybody; it is so hard. We just want to help, really - everybody in the game wants to help to get us back playing.

“The sooner we can do that, the better. I think it helps the wellbeing of everybody; getting sport back up and running and giving people something to cheer about is absolutely crucial at the moment.”

One option being considered, if games restart without crowds, is playing several games at one venue on the same day.

Powell feels that option makes sense.

“It would be cost and safety,” he said. “You are only opening one venue, everybody - doctors and players - go to one place, it is minimising risk and reducing cost which is pretty important for the sport at the moment.

“We all just want to get back to playing and doing what’s right for the country and for rugby league. It’s really important to us all and we want to get it back up and running. As soon as we can do that, we start to move forward.”

Meanwhile, Powell declined to comment on reports Tigers have signed Salford Red Devils full-back Niall Evalds for next season.

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