After two years of development and improvement under the leadership of Daryl Powell, Castleford Tigers have the chance in 2016 to once again show that they belong among Super League’s elite.
The Tigers, who begin their new campaign at Hull Kingston Rovers on Sunday, have finished fourth and fifth under Powell in the past two seasons – an impressive improvement for a side who have been relegated from the top tier twice in 12 years.
One player who is symptomatic of the transformation Castleford have enjoyed is the half-back Luke Gale, who will be key to their attempts to once again compete with the best. His signing from the the relegated Bradford Bulls 12 months ago raised few eyebrows but he finished 2015 as a member of the Super League Dream Team, as well as earning selection to the England squad for the Test series against New Zealand.
Gale anticipates that the club’s chances will be dismissed by some this year but with the progression made under Powell, he sees no reason why they cannot challenge for a Grand Final place at Old Trafford, something that many would have judged as unthinkable before the coach’s arrival.
“We’ll still be written off again this year, to be honest, but it doesn’t bother us,” he said. “It’s irrelevant what people think; we were tipped to be near the bottom last year but this year we’ll put some really good scores on teams in my opinion. We’ll go under the radar again but we’re aiming for the top four – that’s our goal.”
Powell believes that after two strong finishes his side are now ready to make another significant step forward. “We want to have a pop at winning something,” he said. “It should be a reality for us; we’re capable of it and that’s what we’re talking about.
“Over the last couple of years we’ve been really close and we want to get into the top four and be battling when the chips are down. We’ve been fourth and fifth but we fell away a little bit last year when it mattered.”
Powell acknowledges that there will be a belief within his side that they can challenge for trophies but is confident they have the mentality to cope with the pressure. “Expectation requires the group to be strong, because people see you as being capable of doing something special, so you’ve all got to be able to handle that,” he said. “We can deal with it, we’ve got a fair bit of experience in the group and there’s a lot of people determined to achieve something very special.”
Equally, although he made that England squad but was not picked for a game, Gale is hoping the experience will help him to thrive under the demands and responsibilities now on his shoulders and that he can turn it into a full cap.
“I suppose with all that success comes added pressure, but I like that,” he said. “2015 went great, but I’m looking for an improved year this year. Hopefully, come the end I’ll be celebrating with Cas and I can pull the England shirt on for real this time.”
