We won’t be found wanting for character, insists Castleford Tigers boss Daryl Powell

Tigers are backing up from a bruising win over Hull KR three days ago when Nathan Massey, Jacques O’Neill and Adam Milner picked up injuries which rule them out of the trip to Emerald Headingley. Leeds played 24 hours later, but their coach Richard Agar rested most of his star names for the 40-8 defeat by St Helens.

“We don’t have the luxury of doing that, but we will put a team out there full of character and commitment,” Powell said.

“I think the boys are representing the club with such commitment at the moment, it is admirable.

“We will do that again [tonight] against a team that will be pretty well rested.

Preview – Richard Agar taking the strategic approach to Leeds Rhinos’ play-off push

“We’ve just got to do what we can do. We have got pretty short turnarounds now for the next two games, but that’s the way it is this year.

“It’s not ideal, but we will just get on with it.”

The win against Hull KR was Tigers’ second in 10 games since the sport’s resumption following the coronavirus shutdown and Powell is looking for a similar effort tomorrow, but with more consistency. Tigers led 24-0 in the opening quarter and Powell said: “We started great.

Preview – Team news: Leeds Rhinos’ big guns are back for derby date with Castleford Tigers

“We were fantastic for a large period of the first half, but then we lost a little bit of discipline and focus and we looked a bit leaky on our own line.

“We conceded a few tries we would want to do better with, but we showed a lot of character and courage after losing Nathan Massey and Jacques O’Neill.

“We had to reshuffle and that put pressure on players, but we showed a lot of commitment to win the game.

“We held firm under a lot of pressure and adversity so it was a pleasing win and a gutsy effort.”

Support the YEP and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news and the latest on Leeds United, With a digital subscription, you see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click HERE to subscribe.