Salford Red Devils v Castleford Tigers: George Griffin’s gearing up for a must-win match

Tigers, who have lost three times since Betfred Super League resumed a month ago, take on Salford Red Devils at Emerald Headingley in what Griffin reckons is a “must-win” game. They led 14-0 before losing 40-14 to Catalans Dragons and 12-0 early in last Saturday’s 30-22 defeat by Wigan Warriors, so Griffin feels Tigers aren’t far off, but warned they need to be more consistent.

“We go into it with the right game plan and we do well and then we just drop off,” Griffin said. “Maybe we take our foot off the throat a bit – we should not be blowing three-try leads. That’s the main thing, we know we have got it in us, it’s just trying to continue it for 80 minutes.”

The Red Devils were beaten 50-12 by Leeds Rhinos last Saturday and Griffin said: “I played for five years at Salford so I know what [coach] Ian Watson is all about.

“They will be disappointed with that result at the weekend so I know they are going to come out firing, but for us it is a must-win.

“We can’t afford to drop any more games. It will be interesting playing my old team, but hopefully we can get on top of them.”

Peter Mata’utia returns for Tigers after a two-match ban, Greg Eden is back in contention and 17-year-old full-back Bailey Hodgson could make his debut.

Junior Moors and Tyla Hepi are also in the mix, but the injured trio of James Clare, Jacob Trueman and Daniel Smith drop out.

Salford, officially today’s home team, are without Ken Sio, Ryan Lannon, Chris Atkin and Josh Johnson from the team beaten by Leeds.

Krisnan Inu and Lee Mossop are in contention and Ed Chamberlain, Greg Burke, James Greenwood, Connor Jones, Jack Ormondroyd and Andy Ackers are vying for call-ups.

Added intrigue to the contest comes in the guise of Salford’s Niall Evalds who is set to join Castleford in 2021.

Asked if he felt that would put pressure on the player, Tigers coach Daryl Powell said: “There’s been rumours around it for a while.

“Initially when the rumours broke and Salford put some stuff out there (saying Evalds would leave at the end of 2020) it was a tricky time for him.

“Players move from club to club all the time. It’s the nature of the sport. I think he’ll be all right. He’s a good young fella with a big career ahead of him and he just needs to play his game. It’s up to us to make sure it doesn’t go well for him Thursday.”

In terms of Castleford’s form since the return after lockdown, Powell conceded: “We’ve come back and not really got going yet.

“We just need a win. We need a performance. It’s a key game for us.

“We’ve lost three on the spin now and can’t afford to lose many more.”

Salford from: Evalds, Chamberlain, Welham, Inu, Lolohea, Brown, Mossop, Lussick, Dudson, Pauli, McCarthy, Ikahihifo, Burke, Yates, Flanagan, Greenwood, Williams, Kear, Jones, Ormondroyd, Ackers.

Castleford from:Olpherts, Mata’utia, Shenton, Richardson, Watts, McShane, Millington, Holmes, McMeeken, Milner, Massey, Sene-Lefao, Griffin, Foster, Moors, O’Neill, Hepi, Eden, Turner, Hodgson, O’Brien.

Referee: Robert Hicks (Oldham).

Kick-off: Today, 2.30pm.

Venue: Emerald Headingley.

***

A message from the Editor:

Leeds has a fantastic story to tell - and the Yorkshire Evening Post has been rooted firmly at the heart of telling the stories of our city since 1890.

We believe in ourselves and hope you believe in us too. We need your support to help ensure we can continue to be at the heart of life in Leeds.

Subscribe to our website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe. For more details on our newspaper subscription offers click here.

Thank you

Laura Collins

Editor