Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
THE MCMEEKEN SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH
First Cas business then Samoa Down Under for back rower
INTERNATIONAL new boy Mike Mcmeeken has some important club business to resolve tonight before he jets off Down Under for England’s mid-season Test against Samoa. And the Castleford back-row forward wants to leave for Australia with the Tigers on top of Super League. They earned a reprieve with joint-leaders Leeds’ shock home defeat to Huddersfield on Thursday. But successive losses to St Helens and Hull FC have brought Daryl Powell (below) and his free-scoring side back to the chasing pack, including visitors tonight’s Wigan. Now ex-london Bronco Mcmeeken, 22, believes Cas may need to curb their natural attacking flair to return to winning ways. “At Hull, we probably overplayed too much and threw the ball about when we needed to take the tackle and work towards the next play,” said Mcmeeken. “We like to try and score from anywhere. But there are times and places to do that. “It is a learning curve and if anyone had said we would be top of the table after 11 games we would have taken that.” Wigan arrive at the Jungle seeking revenge for a 27-10 defeat at the DW Stadium earlier this month. “They will be coming in with lots of confidence, they have got key players back and they won’t want to lose to us again,” added Mcmeeken. “There’s a growing rivalry between the clubs but this is a great chance to put another marker down to the rest of the league.” Basingstoke-born Mcmeeken is one of three new caps in Wayne Bennett’s squad despite the intense competition from Brits in the NRL. But he’s in no hurry to swell their numbers. “I would never say never but I am contracted to Cas until the end of 2018,” he said. “I love the culture up here. Rugby League is a big part of people’s lives as it is with me. So everything fits pretty well.”