Castleford Tigers are now just over three weeks away from their Super League opener against Wigan Warriors at Wheldon Road.
That game will mark the start of a new era for the Tigers as they kick off their campaign with a raft of new signings and a new head coach to boot. Ryan Carr looks a smart appointment and while a Super League hotseat is new to him, he knows his way around the game in the Northern Hemisphere.
He’s been backed by a raft of signings from down under, with Blake Taaffe, Semi Valemei, Mikaele Ravalawa, Tom Weaver and Brock Greacen making the move from Australia to West Yorkshire and they have been supplemented by a number of signings from the domestic competition, including Jordan Lane and Darnell McIntosh to name just two.
As such, it’s clear that the Tigers will be a very different proposition to last time around and supporters will be expecting to see their side climb the table and attempt to push on towards a top half or even play-off spot.
This weekend’s friendly with St Helens will give us an idea of what to expect from the Tigers but as we start to build up to the new season, we’ve taken a look at how they could line up on February 15 against the Cherry and Whites.
Well, Castleford seem to have used a lot of resources of their back line this year and it certainly looks new and improved. Blake Taaffe has been brought in to play at one and he looks an exciting signing from Canterbury Bulldogs.
There’s question marks about Zac Cini’s fitness given he hasn’t been named in this week’s squad but he has to be considered their best centre when fit, with Valemei and Ravalawa on the wings.
Darnell McIntosh has been given the number four shirt and that seems to suggest that he could be looking at a centre spot this year after the swap deal with Innes Senior, who has joined Leigh Leopards.
It’s clear that Daejarn Asi and Tom Weaver will be Carr’s half-back pairing and it looks as though Liam Hood will be at nine. There’s options in the front-row but Brock Greacen and George Lawler look sensible starting options.
Joe Stimson has been given the 13 jersey but he is interchangeable with Greacen, depending on how Carr sees it at loose-forward. Jordan Lane and captain Alex Mellor are the clear choices in back-row with depth seemingly lacking a little there.
Jack Ashworth will miss the first few games through suspension so he won’t be involved on round one but Renouf Atoni, Brad Singleton and Joe Westerman provide options through the middle off the bench, while Chris Atkin gives hooker depth.
Predicted Castleford Tigers line up
Potential Castleford Tigers round one line-up: Blake Taaffe; Semi Valemei, Zac Cini, Darnell McIntosh, Mikaele Ravalawa; Daejarn Asi, Tom Weaver; George Lawler, Liam Hood, Brock Greacen; Jordan Lane, Alex Mellor, Joe Stimson.
Bench: Renouf Atoni, Joe Westerman, Chris Atkin, Brad Singleton.
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