‘CAS MUST GROW FOR BIG GAMES’
DARYL POWELL has challenged Castleford’s senior players to change their mindsets for big matches after the club’s last two promising seasons ended in bitter disappointment.
The Tigers dominated the 2017 campaign before falling short in the Grand Final against Leeds.
And then they finished third this year, only to exit with a whimper in the semi-final at Wigan.
Powell said: “I’ve spoken to the leaders in the group about what we need to do to change that and improve.
“It will be a collective effort in terms of us getting to big games and winning them more consistently.
“Our better players really need to step up and give us what we need.
“Hopefully we’ll be in and around those big games again, but this time with a different outcome.
“There’s been a lot of honesty from the boys about what they need to do.
“The senior players are a huge part of delivering leadership out there on the field, and we need to be better.
“The Wigan game this year was particularly disappointing. We didn’t deliver when it really mattered.
“So the pressure is on to be better when it matters.”
Powell has resisted the urge to look outside the club for help with sports psychology, and added: “I think it has to come from within - it’s on our players’ minds a lot and we’ve got a lot of experience in the coaching staff.
“We need to drive each other to make sure it happens.”
Powell will be without on-field leader Luke Gale for the start of the season as he continues his recovery from a knee injury, and is unlikely to add a single new signing to his squad before the campaign kicks off on January 31.
The Tigers play just two pre-season games, either side of a camp in Lanzarote, starting with today’s clash against local rivals Featherstone.
Powell said: “It’s an important game for us, and it helps not being on Boxing Day, which can be difficult.
“I’m expecting us to play really well in certain areas - defensively there needs to be an edge about us, with the ball we need to show that our structure is really solid, and if our attitude is great then I’ll be happy.”