Castleford v Huddersfield: Squads Announced

Castleford and Huddersfield have both announced their 21-man squads for Thursday night’s Super League West Yorkshire derby at the Halliwell Jones Stadium (KO 8:15pm).

The Tigers had last week off after being knocked out of the Challenge Cup in the previous round, but have lost four from five league games since the restart.

Meanwhile, after a torrid run of form and the departure of head coach Simon Woolford, the Giants claimed their first win since before lockdown last week, with a 29-6 victory over Wakefield.

Castleford Tigers

Jesse Sene-Lefao is back after being stood down for breaching track and trace protocols, while Gareth O’Brien is also back in contention having been Cup-tied last week. Veteran forward Matt Cook is called-up for the first time this season, while there is a surprise inclusion for young former Hull FC outside back Jack Sanderson, who signed for the Tigers earlier this year. Adam Milner drops out through suspension, while Sosaia Feki, Peter Mata’utia and Jake Trueman miss out through injury.

21-man squad: 2 Derrell Olpherts, 4 Michael Shenton, 7 Danny Richardson, 8 Liam Watts, 9 Paul McShane, 10 Grant Millington, 11 Oliver Holmes, 12 Mike McMeeken, 14 Nathan Massey, 15 Jesse Sene-Lefao, 16 George Griffin, 18 Cheyse Blair, 21 James Clare, 22 Jacques O’Neill, 23 Matt Cook, 24 Tyla Hepi, 25 Greg Eden, 26 Calum Turner, 27 Lewis Peachey, 34 Gareth O’Brien, 35 Jack Sanderson.

Huddersfield Giants

The Giants have only named a 20-man squad, after several members were stood down last week as track and trace analysis identified them as having been in close contact with a Leeds player who tested positive for Covid-19 the week before. Lee Gaskell does return, though, after missing the last six weeks with a thumb injury, while youngsters Dominic Young and Robson Stevens are also included.

20-man squad: 1 Ashton Golding, 2 Jermaine McGillvary, 3 Jake Wardle, 4 Jordan Turner, 5 Darnell McIntosh, 6 Lee Gaskell, 7 Aidan Sezer, 8 James Gavet, 10 Suaia Matagi, 11 Kenny Edwards, 13 Michael Lawrence, 15 Oliver Wilson, 21 Leroy Cudjoe, 22 Tom Holmes, 23 Oliver Russell, 27 Sam Wood, 32 Owen Trout, 33 Dominic Young, 34 Chris McQueen, 35 Robson Stevens.