Watson: Tigers can be tamed...
SALFORD boss Ian Watson has no intention of helping his fellow Betfred Super League coaches shut down Castleford’s potent attack.
The Tigers were knocked off the top of the table after suffering their first defeat of the season at the AJ Bell Stadium on Sunday, when the Red Devils limited Daryl Powell’s entertainers to just 12 points.
In doing so, Salford became the first team this year to prevent Castleford running up at least 30 points and Watson revealed after the match he and his coaching staff had put together a specific plan to deal with their opposition’s numerous attacking threats.
“I’m not telling you what, though!” joked the former Swinton Lions coach. “I’ll let other coaches figure that out.
“There’s some good stuff that they do and there’s quite a few things that Powell has in there as well, little ploys that he has in his defensive unit which we used.
“Funnily enough, we used them last year against them as well. I’d rather just keep them between us and let someone else figure out Cas!”
The win was the Red Devils’ third of the season and saw them move up to fifth in the table. Watson was pleased to have got the win, noting that he and Powell share a similar outlook on the game and how it should be played.
“It’s kind of interesting because obviously, I’ve known Daryl from when he was at Featherstone and he coached them very well as well. He’s gone to Castleford and he’s replicated similar things in his team there.
“To be fair, it’s not dissimilar to the way we play and the way we look at the game, which is pleasing.
“I think they’re a little bit ahead of our processes and what we do, but we’ve got them right today and we’ve got the win.”
Meanwhile, former Salford and Wigan forward Gareth Hock would not turn down an offer to play again for England.
Hock has not played for his country since being axed as a disciplinary measure on the eve of the 2013 World Cup, but he has enjoyed a new lease of life at Leigh, whose coach Neil Jukes claimed he would be worthy of a call-up for the 2017 World Cup after outplaying current England props Chris Hill and Mike Cooper in his last match.
Hock, who once served a two-year ban for cocaine use, says he has turned his life around.
“If England rang me up, you can’t say no, can you?” Hock said. “I had that little blip a few years ago but things have changed massively since then.”