Super League Preview: Salford City Reds v Castleford Tigers
Saturday evening sees the first game at the Salford City Stadium as Salford entertain the Castleford Tigers.
The game will kick-off at 18:00 and will be officiated by Ben Thaler. The game will by broadcast live on Sky Sports and BBC local radio.
Salford’s move away from The Willows was conducted under a cloud after the departure of coach Matt Parish. The Australian having only fulfilled four months of his new contract. Enter assistant Phil Veivers, given the job after impressing in his time as caretaker. Many in the game suggested that Veivers should have been offered the role prior to Parish’s appointment; he has certainly been a steadying influence on the squad.
Salford have only added to their squad sparsely, and the loss of Stefan Ratchford to Warrington can not be underestimated, but they will be hoping that they can put up a respectable challenge in most games. Joel Moon has been brought in to fill the gap left by Ratchford, with Shannan McPherson adding weight to the pack.
Stephen Wild takes over as Captain for the Reds, with Luke Patten as vice-captain. The club hope this will free up play-maker Daniel Holdsworth to concentrate on playing.
Castleford finished ninth last season, dropping out of the play-offs as they lost to Hull KR in dramatic fashion. The club struggled after their Challenge Cup exit. Millward won’t expect that his squad will be able to jump straight into the play-offs, but the experienced coach’s influence may help guide them in the right direction.
The Tigers will start the season with problems in the pack, with four forwards still on the road to recovery. Kirk Dixon has recovered from a shoulder injury in time for the new season, with his kicking a big part of Castleford’s success last season. New recruits Josh Griffin, Lee Mitchell and Steve Nash are all in line to make their debuts for the Tigers on Saturday.
View from the benches
Salford City Reds coach Phil Veivers:
“There is no added edge on the opening game because all I’m bothered about is the fact it’s our first full Super League game of the new season. We’re taking on a young, athletic team containing a lot of very good players. We will have to be at our best. But I’ve taken a lot from our pre-season games – good and bad. We have worked hard and prepared well.”
Castleford Tigers coach Ian Millward:
“It’s obvious we’ve got to improve our defence. The club averaged 30 points against last year and we leaked 40 at Wakefield. In the other two friendlies I thought we did well defensively, but in this game we witnessed some old habits. Some of the things we wanted to change were there against Bradford and Huddersfield, but under pressure some guys went back to some old ways.”
Last five meetings
Salford City Reds 8-15 Castleford Tigers. Super League: 17/06/2011
Castleford Tigers 52-20 Salford City Reds. Super League: 10/04/2011
Salford City Reds 22-28 Castleford Tigers. Super League: 20/06/2010
Castleford Tigers 30-12 Salford City Reds. Super League: 25/04/2010
Salford City Reds 12-18 Castleford Tigers. . Super League: 17/07/2009
Squads
Salford City Reds:
Luke Patten, Jodie Broughton, Sean Gleeson, Joel Moon, Danny Williams, Daniel Holdsworth, Matty Smith, Lee Jewitt, Wayne Godwin, Jordan James, Matty Ashurst, Shannan McPherson, Stephen Wild (c), Chris Nero, Luke Adamson, Vinnie Anderson, Stuart Howarth, Iafeta Palea’aesina, Ben Gledhill.
Castleford Tigers:
Richard Owen, Joe Arundel, Kirk Dixon, Josh Griffin, Rangi Chase, Danny Orr (c), Jake Emmitt, Daryl Clark, Brett Ferres, Jonathan Walker, Stuart Jones, Adam Milner, Ryan Hudson, Lee Mitchell, Oliver Holmes, Nathan Massey, Ryan McGoldrick, Steve Nash, John Davies.
