Castleford Tigers take on Hull FC this evening at Wheldon Road and head coach Danny McGuire will be keen to see improvements from his side. The Tigers have won just one game all season and their defeat to Catalans Dragons last time out will have left a bitter taste in the mouth.
Catalans eased to victory in testing West Yorkshire conditions and the Tigers will be striving to bounce back against an in-form Hull outfit. The Black and Whites have won three of their first five games and sit third in the Super League table at present.
As such, they’re one of the sides to beat in Super League at present and they arrive at Castleford, where they won in pre-season, with heaps of confidence. The Tigers might have their work cut out this evening then and here’s how we think both teams might line up.
McGuire has named a 20-man squad for the clash, due to a number of injuries within the group and it seems as though he might have to move things around to make things work in the pack. Expect the back line to look the same as it did last Saturday, with Daejarn Asi and Rowan Milnes lining up in the halves.
However, there could be a change in the front-row with George Lawler potentially set to move to second-row to cover for the injured Jeremy Simbiken. That opens for the door for George Griffin to start the game alongside Brad Singleton and the pair could be asked to play big minutes through the middle.
Liam Horne started at loose-forward last week, but he could be used off the bench this week with Joe Westerman involved. Muizz Mustapha and Sylvester Namo look set to play big roles off the bench, too, in order to compete against Hull’s large pack.
John Cartwright will have hoped to keep Hull FC changes to a minimum after last week’s win over Wakefield Trinity. Ed Chamberlain looks set to start at centre, though, with Zak Hardaker ruled out through injury.
If Cade Cust is fit enough, he’ll start alongside man of the moment Aidan Sezer, while it seems as though either Liam Knight or Liam Watts will start alongside Herman Ese’ese through the middle. Given how keen Watts will be to impress against his old side, don’t be surprised if the veteran gets the nod from the beginning and plays big minutes.
With Jed Cartwright sidelined once more, the head coach has a dilemma on the right edge. Brad Fash is an option with the forward filling in well there last week at Belle Vue, while youngster Will Kirby has also been named in the squad and could play as the only other natural second-rower in the squad.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sam Eseh given the nod for his second Hull debut off the bench, while the return of Davy Litten gives Cartwright options for a number of positions. In fact, his availability gives him the chance to spell Amir Bourouh, with Cade Cust able to step into the middle, Jordan Rapana being comfortable in the halves and Litten slotting in on the wing.
Castleford Tigers predicted line-up: Tex Hoy; Josh Simm, Zac Cini, Sam Wood, Innes Senior; Daejarn Asi, Rowan Milnes; Brad Singleton, Cain Robb, George Griffin, Alex Mellor, George Lawler; Joe Westerman
Bench: Liam Horne, Judah Rimbu, Muizz Mustapha, Sylvester Namo.
Hull FC predicted line-up: Logan Moy; Jordan Rapana, Ed Chamberlain, Tom Briscoe, Lewis Martin; Cade Cust, Aidan Sezer; Herman Ese’ese, Amir Bourouh, Liam Watts; Jordan Lane, Brad Fash; John Asiata
Bench: Jack Ashworth, Liam Knight, Sam Eseh, Davy Litten.
Aiming for another big display on the road – see you d’arnt lane for our 4000th league fixture, Faithful 💪
⚫️⚪️ #COYH | @ecostrad pic.twitter.com/W88Mn72voq
— Hull FC (@hullfcofficial) March 27, 2025
