Castleford Tigers forward Alex Mellor ready for 'strange' reunion as he aims to end Leeds Rhinos' season

Now the back-rower is part of the Castleford Tigers side striving to end Leeds's season in their own pursuit of Grand Final glory.

The equation at Headingley is simple: win and you are in the play-offs; lose and your campaign is over.

With only one point between the sides in the table, there could hardly be more riding on Mellor's first return to LS6.

Although the Rhinos were down in 10th place when he left for Castleford in late June, the forward had a feeling it would go down to the final game of the regular season.

"It is strange," said Mellor, a Challenge Cup winner with the Rhinos in 2020.

"I looked at the fixtures and obviously knew we had Leeds in the last game. I knew it would be a great occasion and wondered what position we'd be in.

"I knew Leeds would come back into it because they're such a good side but I wondered whether there would be anything at stake and whether one of us would have to win to get into the play-offs. It's worked out that we're both desperate for the win to get in.

"There's a lot of excitement for me going back there anyway but to go back needing a win it's going to be such a great spectacle that you want to be involved in.

"You remember these games throughout your career. The excitement around it is brilliant."

Although he had not featured under new Rhinos boss Rohan Smith and last played in April, Mellor's exit came out of the blue.

The 27-year-old insisted there is no ill-feeling, even if he does want to send his former team-mates on holiday this weekend.

"I didn't envisage it but there's no bad blood from me or Leeds,” he said.

"I had really good conversations with Rohan and Gary (Hetherington) when I left and they understood. It was like we metaphorically shook hands over the phone and everything was fine.

"I had a great time at Leeds, I loved the club, but things are different now and I've moved on."

But for a favour from Catalans Dragons on Monday evening, Mellor's return to Headingley would be a dead rubber from a Castleford perspective.

The result in Perpignan handed the Tigers a lifeline in the aftermath of a 50-10 defeat by Salford Red Devils.

"We built it up and there was so much hype and pressure around it that we handled it in the wrong way," said Mellor.

"When you're 20-0 down after 12 minutes or something like that it sort of makes it impossible.

"We gave ourselves a chance by coming back into it but just didn't have much fight in us and let ourselves down. It was a really disappointing performance."

Castleford know there will be no third chance if they do not get it right this afternoon.

Mellor is optimistic the magnitude of the game will bring out the best in Lee Radford's side. "It's black or white," said Mellor. "There's no waiting to see if another team lose; it's knockout football.

"It's been a Grand Final for the last few weeks so we're used to the pressure.

"We had a dip against Salford and a little bit of a dip against Huddersfield but I think the pressure and the situation is massively going to help us bounce back."

Castleford's cause has not been helped by the loss of Danny Richardson to a serious knee injury, leaving the Tigers without any specialist half-backs for the do-or-die clash.

Richardson's absence will be felt at Headingley, by Mellor as much as anyone else. "He's more than your standard player; he's a little general on the field," said Mellor.

"Sometimes the lads get into him saying he throws his toys out of the pram but he's great for us and guides you around the field. He takes control of sets and everyone knows what they're doing off Danny. He defends next to me and never shuts up talking.

"Having that constant voice and leadership out on the field really helps. That'll be a massive loss."

The play-off decider rounds off a gruelling period that has seen Castleford play three games in eight days.

For Mellor, it is a mental battle rather than a physical one.

"No matter how hard the season or the last couple of games have been, the top three inches (the brain) determine whether you're ready or not," he said.

"You might be carrying a few knocks but if you're mentally telling yourself you're ready to go to war, that's all that matters. The physical stuff looks after itself."