Bradford Bulls v Castleford Tigers: Kurt Haggerty's side out to avoid harsh epitaph for return season

A 20th loss tonight would all but consign the Bulls to the wooden spoon, representing a harsh epitaph for a season in which there have been reasons for optimism. Bradford have had to contend with a constant stream of injuries, made the step back up to full-time rugby league and still managed to give their fans some memorable moments while raising hope for the future.

Now comes the challenge of beating Castleford Tigers and applying pressure to York Knights ahead of a potential wooden-spoon decider at the LNER Community Stadium in the final round.

Kurt Haggerty is not shielding his players from the reality of the situation.

"You may get some coaches say that we've not spoken about it or addressed it," he noted during Tuesday's press conference. "We've spoken about it.

"That has been the elephant in the room. We've addressed it in particular today in our team meeting. We certainly don't want that tag.

"We're going to have to make some sacrifices in this game to make sure we put our best foot forward to win it and obviously carry that over to York. We've addressed it, we've spoken about it and we don't want that tag.

"It was led by me. I addressed it with the group and then gave some of our senior players the opportunity to speak about how they feel about it. It's certainly in collaboration."

Whether the Bulls finish bottom or pull themselves clear at the death, there are no guarantees for any of Super League's Grade B clubs in the IMG era.

Bradford do, however, have their Las Vegas showdown with Leigh Leopards in the back pocket – a commitment that should offer some security.

A recruitment drive that has already delivered signings such as John Bateman and James Bentley offers another reason for supporters to believe 2027 will be brighter.

"When you breathe and take stock and look at what we've done in the space of less than 12 months, it's very, very good," added Haggerty, who welcomes Loghan Lewis, Phoenix Steinwede and Dan Russell back into his injury-ravaged squad for Bradford's final home game of the season.

"We're going to Vegas, we've sorted a pre-season camp away, we've brought in some very, very good players and there are still other players to add to that as well.

"It's been stressful, it's been challenging, it's still been hard to recruit, but for the challenges we've had and the amount of work we've put in, it's certainly going to be worth it."

While Bradford are rebuilding at the start of their second coming as a Super League club, this week's visitors are in a constant state of flux.

Castleford find themselves in familiar territory after Ryan Carr's departure left them searching for a new head coach.

Six coaches have come and gone since Daryl Powell ended his long reign at the end of 2021, underlining the instability that has followed.

Luke Robinson, who is effectively in interim charge after being drafted in as an assistant, believes the events of this year have taken their toll on a team capable of delivering when everything falls into place.

"You're a product of your environment and your past experiences generally shape you as a person and a rugby player," he said. "They've had a fair few lows this year and there's been a lot of controversy around the place.

"But for me, they just need to play without fear and with confidence. They've had some really good games this year. Cas have beaten Saints, Wigan and Leeds, which shows it's definitely within us.

"Potentially there is a little bit of a confidence issue but that needs to go out of the window in these last two games. They need to play with the shackles off.

"If they show the form they showed against the top teams, we'll put ourselves in a really good position to get a win."

On the face of it, Castleford have little to play for in the remaining two rounds, even if there is a remote chance of finishing with the wooden spoon.

Robinson has told the Tigers their approach should not change regardless of the wider context.

"Whether you're playing for Siddal, Lock Lane or Castleford Tigers, you should have individual pride," he said.

"You want to play for yourself first and foremost, the bloke to the side of you, your family, the badge, the fans – there's always something to play for.

"We need to have the mentality going into these last two games that our season isn't done and we need to finish as high up the league table as we can.

"Hopefully we can use that as a bit of a building block into next year and give the fans something to sing about."