Subject to everything going as expected at Saturday’s run-out, two of the Roughyeds’ most experienced forwards will be in contention to start their 2022 rugby league journeys in Sunday evening’s cup-tie at the Vestacare Stadium, kick-off 6pm.
Jamaican international Jordan Andrade, a big, 29-year-old prop, and workaholic back-row man Emmerson Whittel, who made a big impression with us in the 2019 promotion season before jetting off to the other side of the world, didn’t figure against Wakefield because they were following Covid protocols.
Head coach Stuart Littler has confirmed that, subject to their being no last-minute hitches at Saturday training, the pair will be in the running.
Andrade, who has been named in Littler’s five-man leadership group, has been part of the Jamaican national squad since 2016, and he’s looking for a big season in 2022 in the hope of getting into the Reggae Warriors (Jamaican) squad for the World Cup in the autumn.
Whittel has been playing for two Australian clubs in the past two years, Rockingham Sharks in Perth and Cairns Brothers up in Far North Queensland, but he was keen to sign for us when he got home, having enjoyed his season here in 2019 when he played in 24 of a possible 26 games.
Littler said of Whittel when he signed: “He shares our vision for the club and what we are trying to do.”
With 19 of his 25 players new to the club, Littler is hoping his heavy concentration on bonding across pre-season will bring its rewards on the pitch.
He said:
“We’ve had to think outside the box a little bit because we’ve more or less got a brand-new squad, to say nothing of new backroom staff, new structures, new systems and loads of new players.
“Togetherness is key so we’ve had to hit the ground running on building relationships and nurturing that togetherness.
“We’ve been to boxing gyms, done some wrestling, climbed Snowdon, been on a farm and had a barbecue.
“We’ve challenged the lads, taken them out of their comfort zone and built a lot of team spirit.”
It will all be put to the test when Roughyeds take on Lock Lane on Sunday evening at 6pm at the Vestacare Stadium in the second round of the Betfred Challenge Cup.
Added Stuart:
“We roll into the Challenge Cup on Sunday and where that takes us will be key to the rest of our preparations for the start of the league programme.
“We expect a tough tie and we’ll show Lock Lane the utmost respect by preparing for them like we would prepare for ANY opposition.”
The whole of Castleford seems to be getting behind their local club.
The Super League Tigers used a mix of Academy and Reserve players to do an opposed session with them on Thursday night and they have since messaged them on social media to wish them luck.
Pupils in the PE department at the town’s High School, Castleford Academy, are whipping up interest in the tie throughout the entire school, and beyond, on the back of the rivalry of two members of staff, our very own Will Cooke and Lock Lane’s Danny Holmes.
They’re working colleagues at the school and with Will expected to be at right-centre for Roughyeds and Danny thought to be pencilled in as Lock Lane’s left-side second-rower, they are likely to be in direct opposition.
It’s a situation that has captured the imagination of the school’s PE lads — no doubt fired by thoughts of their two ‘sirs’ knocking each other about on a rugby pitch.
