Photograph: Ed Sykes/Reuters
Daryl Powell has accused the Rugby Football League of a “lack of understanding” following Super League’s second double-header round in less than six weeks, claiming the exertions placed on players makes a laughing stock of player welfare.
Castleford beat Widnes and Leigh over the bank holiday to remain top but Powell will make at least six changes for Sunday’s visit of St Helens, insisting he has to protect his players because the sport’s administrators are not. “The RFL are not going to look after the players so I’m going to do it – there’ll be a lot of changes,” Powell said. “We’re hardly halfway through the year and we’ve had two Friday-Monday turnarounds. There’s a lack of understanding from them of what happens on a day-to-day basis.
“When you play just one game it takes you a few days to even want to train. Certain people sit behind screens without a knowledge of what it takes; we were told we’ve got a six-day turnaround and that it shouldn’t be an issue but to have that after we play Friday and then Monday just is not enough. I’m absolutely fuming with it.”
Powell’s frustrations have been further compounded after St Helens were afforded a 10-day turnaround for Sunday’s game. They did not play on Monday after the RFL accepted a request from Huddersfield to postpone their match against Saints owing to Huddersfield Town’s appearance in football’s Championship play-off final.
“We talk about the quality of Super League but this dilutes it and it reduces the ability of your best players to play well and it makes a mockery of player welfare,” Powell said. “And how the decision concerning St Helens’ game was made is beyond me. It’s unbelievable. I’ve no issue with St Helens, none at all. If we’d have got that opportunity we’d have taken it but it’s nonsensical they pull this story out about ‘we’ve got another team in a final’. It’s ridiculous, surely we’re a bigger sport than that?”
There was some good news for Powell, with six Castleford players in Wayne Bennett’s 27-man England elite performance squad. The contribution includes first call-ups for Greg Eden, the league’s top try-scorer, plus the hooker, Paul McShane. St Helens’ Tommy Makinson is also called up for the first time.
England 27-man elite performance squad
Greg Eden, Luke Gale, Zak Hardaker, Mike McMeeken, Paul McShane, Michael Shenton (all Castleford), Jermaine McGillvary (Huddersfield), Scott Taylor (Hull FC), Ryan Hall, Stevie Ward, Kallum Watkins (all Leeds), Jonny Lomax, Tommy Makinson, Mark Percival, James Roby, Alex Walmsley (all St Helens), Kevin Brown, Daryl Clark, Mike Cooper, Ben Currie, Chris Hill, Stefan Ratchford (all Warrington), John Bateman, Joe Burgess, Liam Farrell, Sean O’Loughlin, George Williams (all Wigan).
