Hull KR v Castleford Tigers: Boss Lee Radford confident ahead of Challenge Cup quarter-final
Boss Lee Radford reckons Castleford Tigers are in much better shape now than when they lost at Hull KR in February.
Tigers return to Sewell Group Craven Park on Friday for a Betfred Challenge Cup quarter-final on the back of successive wins.
They were beaten 26-10 at the same ground six weeks ago, but Radford insisted “We are definitely better off personnel-wise now.”
He said: “We’ve only got a couple missing - though George [Lawler, who is suspended] would have been a real asset to us this weekend.
“Morale is good, but that has not been an issue; even after the losses we’ve been pretty good around the place.
“I just think the buy-in over the last month and the good stuff we’ve been doing on the back of that has definitely helped us.”
A win would leave Tigers just one game away from a second successive appearance in the final, following last year’s Wembley defeat by St Helens.
Radford coached Hull to back-to-back Challenge Cup wins in 2016 and 2017 and described it as a “special competition”.
He said: “It is the easiest achievable [competition to win], I think, of the two.
“But it is all about Friday and Friday night’s performance.
“You get one opportunity at it so taking that opportunity is incredibly important.”