A hostile reception on returning to your former club is part and parcel of sport these days, it seems, but the Warrington hooker Daryl Clark may have to look closely on Sunday to check if any of his family are among the hecklers.
That is highly unlikely, of course, but when Clark returns to his hometown club, Castleford, for the first time after leaving the Tigers for Warrington, he knows he may lack the unwavering support of a family filled with both Castleford fans and residents.
“I knew the game was coming up and it’s something I’ve had an eye out for ever since the fixtures came out,” says Clark. “All my family will be there and it’s a game I really want to win, They all live in Fryston, which is about five minutes away from the ground. They’re all Castleford through and through.
“They all still live really close to the ground; I moved over but they’re all still over there in Cas. It’s a special game for me because they’re a special team to me – there’s no secret made of that – and I can’t wait to go back. Of course, there’ll be some [Castleford] fans who aren’t all right with the move, but I’m not too fussed about that.”
Clark’s affection for Castleford is still vividly clear despite his move, and after playing a big part in the Tigers’ success last year it comes as little surprise to the 22-year-old to see the coach, Daryl Powell, leading another charge towards the top four in 2015.
“It’s no surprise for me. They’ve got a great coach in Daryl and I’m certainly not shocked to see them up there because I know what it’s like at the club and what they’ve done. I know what the team is about and what quality they’ve got there.
“People said it was a one-off for them last year, so it’s nice to see them backing it up and doing it well. Daryl really brought some togetherness into the club, he got the players playing for each other and he gets the best out of players individually. He knows what to get out of people and that’s one of his strong points, great man-management, and he knows his players inside out.”
Affection and fondness will go out of the window on Sunday, though, in a game where defeat would mean the Wolves falling six points behind the top four before the Super 8s. But, like his own form in 2015, Clark believes the Wolves are slowly improving at just the right time. “I had a lack of form at the start of the year – it’s the first year I’ve had without a pre-season – but I feel like I’ve been getting better,” says Clark.
“It’s been a similar year to the team; I started slowly and not playing that well but as it’s gone on I feel like I’ve improved alongside the team, and hopefully that can keep improving. I struggled a bit at the start of the season but I’m glad to be back in full sessions and not taking two or three days to recover anymore – I’m in a good place at the minute. It’s the right time to be coming into form as everyone will be playing each other in the Super 8s and we know we can still make the top four.”
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