Tigers v Bulls: Teams
Castleford coach Ian Millward says his players are fit and raring to go ahead of Sunday's home opener against Bradford.
Last Updated: 10/02/12 4:45pm
Castleford coach Ian Millward says his players are fit and raring to go ahead of Sunday's home opener against Bradford.
Millward is expected to stick with the side that won in the wintry conditions at Salford last time, with Josh Griffin, Steve Nash and Lee Mitchell making their home debuts, although hooker Ryan Hudson and new signing James Grehan are also named in his 19-man squad.
The Tigers boss told the club's official website: "The players are fit and raring to go and I'm really looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd, our support last week in those conditions was phenomenal and I think there's a great synergy between the players and supporters."
Opponents Bradford recall back row forward Elliott Whitehead, who will make his first appearance since August after completing a five-match ban for biting.
He takes the place of the injured John Bateman in the only change to coach Mick Potter's 19-man squad from the team that lost at home to Catalans Dragons last time.
"There were some things we did well; there were things we did poorly," Potter told the club's website. "They controlled the ruck and we didn't so that gives us something to work on.
"They didn't have it all their own way but they certainly, overall, performed better on the day as far as winning the ruck and controlling offensively and defensively for most of the game.
"It wasn't a super plan, there was no rocket science to it; it was plain and simple."
Castleford squad: Owen, Arundel, Dixon, Griffin, Chase, Orr, Emmitt, Clark, Ferres, Walker, Jones, Milner, Hudson, Mitchell, Holmes, Massey, McGoldrick, Nash, Grehan.
Bradford squad: Kear, Diskin, Donaldson, Whitehead, L'Estrange, Burgess, Crookes, Gale, Hargreaves, Sammut, Kearney, Kopczak, Purtell, Langley, Scruton, Sibbit, Joseph, Jeffries, Walker.