Thursday 24 March 2016 19:37, UK
Defending Super League Champions Leeds finally got their season on track with a 30-18 win over St Helens last time out.
They will be looking to build on that win against Castleford who will be hurting after they were demolished 56-12 by Warrington.
The Leeds v Bradford games used to be a staple part of any Super League fan's Easter diet, but after the Bulls were relegated, Castleford stepped into the breach last season. The Tigers were beaten 26-12 in the Easter fixture, but they'll fancy their chances against a Leeds side they beat twice at the end of last season. Here are three key match-ups.
They may not line up against each other depending on how Brian McDermott chooses to shuffle his pack with both Tom Briscoe and Ryan Hall both major doubts, but it's worth keeping an eye on these two wingers come Thursday.
Denny Solomona is flying. He's the second top try scorer in Super League with nine and he crossed seven more times than any other Cas player. It's not just how many Solomona scores, but also how he scores them.
A master of the flying finish, the winger seems to get the ball down in impossible situations - see his wonder four-pointer against Wakefield earlier in the season. His attacking threat from all over the pitch is obvious. He's made five more clean breaks (15) than anyone else in Super League, a figure that is ten higher than any teammate.
Solomona has also made the most metres of any Tiger (713), has the best average gain (10.64m) and has made the most tackle busts (28). So a wonderful start to 2016 for Solomona and, with three tries against the champions in 2015, Leeds will be wary of the dangerous winger.
It's been a testing 2016 so far for Ash Handley. After Tom Briscoe's injury, he came into the side for the World Club Challenge game against the North Queensland Cowboys and made an error under the high ball that led to Kane Linnett's try. Teams have peppered his wing since, but Handley, along with his confidence, is steadily improving.
He broke onto the scene in 2015 with 13 tries, equal third in the Rhinos ranks along with Danny McGuire, before stepping aside when Briscoe returned from injury. And against St Helens, there were signs last season's form could be returning.
Handley has crossed twice this season, while his kick returns have been solid, posting 340 metres at an average of 7.73m. Both Briscoe and Hall have been named in the 19-man squad, but are major doubts, so should McDermott give Handley the opportunity to continue given his improvement against St Helens?
Injuries have hit Cas hard in the pack and one player they'll need match fit is loose forward Nathan Massey. As for Leeds, the man back in the 13 position is someone out to prove a point after injury himself.
In the loose forward position for Castleford, Daryl Powell has chosen to use Nathan Massey in recent weeks. He did miss the first game of 2016, and started the next three on the bench, but Massey has stepped back into the starting 13 in the last two games. A stellar 2015 saw him sign a new contract after racking up consistent numbers in the tackling and metre making departments.
Massey featured in either the front row or the loose forward position before wrist surgery kept him out at the end of the season. He's made a solid start to 2016, with 134 tackles and 304m from 48 carries. But in line with Castleford's recent injury problems, Massey himself limped off against Warrington.
The Tigers will hope he's fit and firing against the Rhinos though, with Oliver Holmes and Junior Moors both likely absentees and Lee Jewitt and Frankie Mariano struggling with injury too. So if Massey does pull through, he'll be an important part of a Castleford pack looking to get one over the Rhinos.
Despite Leeds' humbling at Wigan, one big positive was the return of Jamie Jones-Buchanan from a serious ruptured quad muscle injury. And the forward continued to build on the promise shown at the DW Stadium last week against St Helens, turning in an impressive display. He opened the scoring and rolled back the years with an all-energy performance.
Everyone knows what JJB brings to a side. Tackling galore (69 so far in two games), a willingness to take the ball up (22 carries for 126 metres thus far) and plenty of leadership, an ingredient so badly needed in a Rhinos team recently ravaged by injury.
Having missed out on the treble success through injury, JJB will be eager to make sure 2016 isn't a damp squib for the Rhinos. And on the evidence of his performance last week, Leeds have a vital component of their pack back in the side.
The battle of the front row could play a significant factor in deciding the outcome to Thursday's game.
For Castleford, Grant Millington has started four games in the prop forward position, before missing the defeat against Salford, then moving into the second row against Warrington. The Tigers certainly need his grunt against the Leeds forwards.
With Andy Lynch, the Tigers pack leader, an injury doubt, Millington will need to take on added responsibility. But Castleford's highest tackler and third-highest metre maker of 2015 is up to the task.
He's made 126 tackles so far in 2016, and 415 metres, with his average gain up to 6.38m per run, compared to 6.22m last season. Offloads are a big part of his game and Millington is joint-topping those figures again in the Castleford squad with seven so far. So can he fire up the Tigers pack against the Rhinos and get his side going forward come Thursday?
Leeds need more from their Australian prop Keith Galloway. It's taken him a while to get used to Super League life since the off-season switch from West Tigers. Galloway has made 486 metres, but at an average gain of 6.66m, only the seventh best in the Rhinos pack. But there were encouraging signs against St Helens.
One barnstorming run and offload set up the opening try for Jones-Buchanan and Galloway looked willing for work, something evident from his 73 carries this season, the third best in the Leeds pack. His tackle count is high too, fourth on the Rhinos list with 166.
It will often take time for NRL players to adapt to England, but as the ground hardens up going into summer, Leeds fans can expect to see much more from Galloway with ball in-hand. Now can he build on that performance against St Helens this Thursday in the derby?
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