FERRES EYES SILVER LINING
Leeds Rhinos forward targets trophy as he celebrates milestone game
“I WAS left back-row but had Paul Deacon as scrum-half on my inside and Shontayne Hape and Lesley Vainikolo on my outside; it doesn’t get much easier to play.”
Ahead of his 300th career game tonight, Brett Ferres is recalling his first which, of course, came for the great 2005 title-winning Bradford Bulls side.
Back then, they finished the year by defeating his current employers Leeds Rhinos in the Super League Grand Final, although the teenage rookie, still making his way in Brian Noble’s squad, did not feature at Old Trafford.
It is well-documented Bradford have not played in a Grand Final since and Ferres, despite going on to earn international recognition, still has not either.
He has worked his way around all West Yorkshire’s top-flight clubs – he joined Wakefield Trinity in a swap deal with David Solomona a year after his Bradford debut, then on to hometown Castleford Tigers and Huddersfield Giants before finding himself at Headingley 18 months ago.
Ferres told The Yorkshire Post: “That debut was at Hull FC and I think I was 18.
“My shirt was about three sizes too big, it was a Challenge Cup game but a fair old side to go into.
“Now I’m at Bradford’s big rivals Leeds and still going alright approaching 300 games.
“But I’ve still never been to a final; I’ve played for England, won the World Club Challenge with Bradford (in 2006) and a League Leaders’ Shield at Huddersfield (in 2013) but not a big one.
“It’s certainly one reason why I came to Leeds – to win silverware. It was the best call at the time and, hopefully, it will happen.
“We’re in the Challenge Cup semis now and just one game away from Wembley but that’s a few weeks off yet and all we’re thinking about is Cas.”
There is good reason to be concentrating on their near neighbours as Leeds are desperate to bring the surprise leaders down to size when they meet at an electric Headingley tonight.
Flamboyant Castleford have only lost three league games all year although their eight-match winning run was, ironically, ended by Hull who knocked them out of the Challenge Cup on Sunday.
They have beaten Leeds in each of their last six meetings including twice already this season but third-placed Rhinos – who beat Featherstone Rovers last week to set up a Cup semi-final with Hull – are intent on hauling them in.
A defiant head coach Brian McDermott was certainly clear in his message at yesterday’s pre-match press conference.
“Listen, we’re going for Cas tomorrow night,” he insisted.
“Our blokes are going into battle and they (Castleford) are a good team. They’re top of the tree, six points in front of us and we want to get League Leaders so we’re having a crack tomorrow night. We’re showing up.
“I know they’ll be all be disappointed (losing to Hull) but I think they need to be more worried about us tomorrow night than being out of the Cup.”
Fighting talk. Indeed, there is an admission from within Leeds’s ranks that they had Castleford on the rack at Magic Weekend last month only to let them escape.
Ferres, 31, said: “For us, it’s all about playing for a full 80 minutes. We did it for 60 in Newcastle. We tested them and got at them.
“But then we had a 15-20 minute spell where they scored three tries and pushed out leaving us too much to do.
“We know they’re a very good side and they’ve been very consistent while there will be a reaction after their Cup loss.
“But it is about us now and what we do and how we approach this.”
For all Leeds have won six Grand Finals since Bradford beat them in 2005, Castleford have still yet to win a championship in their entire 91-year history.
It is understandable, then, why the club’s fervent fans, who are expected to swell the Headingley gate tonight, are so excitable.
Ferres, who still lives in the town, admitted: “I hear it every day; going shopping, walking into town, I listen to those fans giving me their opinions.
“They tell me they’re doing this, that and the other and they are doing well. I do enjoy watching them myself and there’s a buzz around the town which is good to see. But obviously I want those trophies with Leeds.”