Castleford Tigers coach Powell happy his side are clicking into gear

Tigers are up to fourth in Betfred Super League and wins in their two games in hand would see them go level on points with leaders St Helens.

“We have had to work so hard this year,” Powell – whose side crushed bottom club Catalans Dragons 41-0 two days ago – reflected.

“We have had a couple of games cancelled, but we are in a good position.

“I have been saying that for a few weeks. We have got a strong squad and some confidence about us and really good depth. We are finding a groove for ourselves.

“It has taken a bit of time, but we have been playing on heavy pitches for a while and now I can see there’s some real potential in us in 2018.”

Powell rated the defensive effort against Catalans as Tigers’ best of the season and said that was the boost they needed ahead of Friday’s trip to second-placed Wigan Warriors.

“We were good, really good,” he added. “Our defence was outstanding and we scored some smart tries. We are scoring a lot of tries from kicks at the moment and we’ve got control to our game. It was a really pleasing performance.”

Powell reckons Tigers – who are two points behind Wigan with a game in hand – have taken a “massive” step forward over the past two matches.

“We’ve scored 40 points two weeks in succession,” he added. “It looks a bit different to what 2017 looked, but it is very effective. We are finding different ways to play as a team and that is really good for us.”

Tigers came through the win over Catalans with no new injuries.