It has been a tough start to life at The Jungle for Lee Radford but a win against the side who sacked him less than two years ago would ease some early-season pressure on the Castleford head coach.
Hull really hit their stride in the resounding home win against Salford last week and they will be hoping to bring that form into this one in a bid to make it three wins from four to start the season.
It’s not just Lee Radford that connects the two clubs, but there will be a number of players and staff facing their former side come Sunday afternoon so this will certainly be one of the more interesting Super League matches we have seen so far this season.
Team News
Both sides have their problems ahead of this game. Lee Radford in particular is a bit thin on the ground as he is without the injured Danny Richardson, Adam Milner, Jake Mamo, Kenny Edwards and Jacques O’Neill, while Liam Watts and Bureta Faraimo miss out on facing their former club through suspension.
Carlos Tuimavave, Cam Scott, Joe Cator and Manu Ma’u will all be absent for Brett Hodgson’s Hull as they continue to recover from major injury setbacks. Luke Gale is also still suspended with Ben McNamara expected to continue in the halves alongside Josh Reynolds following his fine performance against Salford last Saturday.
Match Preview – Key battles:
Jake Connor vs Niall Evalds: The maverick Jake Connor returned for Hull last week and produced a fine display to again remind us of his world-class natural ability in attack. He will be keen to show his capabilities at the other end of the pitch this week though after a sly dig about his defensive attributes from his former coach Radford. His opposite number Niall Evalds has shown glimpses so far this season and you feel any moment he could just burst into life – this could be the match so Hull need to be aware of his electric pace and skill with ball-in-hand.
Paul McShane vs Danny Houghton: Two old stagers still going strong. McShane and Houghton are two former Man of Steel winners and two of the most consistent players we have seen throughout the last decade in Super League. Though they may not have the physical speed they once possessed, that speed of thought is very much still there and whichever no.9 thinks the quickest on Sunday and picks the right pass/kick selection is likely to lead their team to victory.
Where the game will be won and lost:
Castleford were in the game at Hull KR last week but they collapsed out of nowhere and were beaten comfortably in the end. There is no question Lee Radford has a big job on his hands and if they are to stand a chance here, they need to improve their discipline which has cost them dearly in the first three rounds. Hull were superb last week but this will likely be more of a battle played in the middle of the pitch. This could actually be a similar game to the one the black and whites played at Wakefield in round one, where the ability to complete sets and take your chances was the deciding factor. Hull won that day and with the Tigers injury and suspension issues, they should have just about enough to get over the line in this one too.
Score prediction: Castleford Tigers 10-16 Hull FC
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