Castleford Tigers reveal date for return to training

Castleford Tigers are planning to return to training on July 20 with the Super League season officially set to return in early August.
Castleford Tigers players celebrate. Picture: Getty Images.Castleford Tigers players celebrate. Picture: Getty Images.
Castleford Tigers players celebrate. Picture: Getty Images.

The resumption of the top-flight season will happen on August 2, although the Tigers will not return to action until the following week.

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Head coach Daryl Powell hopes that he will be able to get his squad back on the training field in just over two weeks, as Castleford aim to continue with the rich vein of form they found themselves in before the season was suspended in mid-March.

Castleford Tigers head coach Daryl Powell. Picture: Anna Gowthorpe/SWpix.com.Castleford Tigers head coach Daryl Powell. Picture: Anna Gowthorpe/SWpix.com.
Castleford Tigers head coach Daryl Powell. Picture: Anna Gowthorpe/SWpix.com.

The Tigers had won five of their seven league outings before the shutdown and sat joint top of the table with Wigan Warriors.

“It has been pretty tough, trying to get through this,” said Powell

“Even though things can change it gives us something to focus on which is really important for everybody.

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“It gives us something to get excited about. It has been great news for the players.

“We can get them focused on their jobs again, which has been quite difficult for a long time now. It looks like July 20 for training and then the restart on August 8 or 9 which hopefully gives us an opportunity to get back.”

Powell is keen for his side to hit the ground running on their return as Castleford aim to continue where they left off after beating reigning champions St Helens in dominant fashion in their last fixture.

Powell continued: “It is just about having an awareness of what we were doing well and do the hard work that is needed to replicate that. We know what was working for us and we are in a good position.

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"But you can’t expect that what you have done before is going to continue unless you work hard.

“We know what we were doing well and we will try our best to carry on where we left off.

“Practice will be really effective to get us back where we need to be and I think we will be able to do that.”

Members of the Castleford squad have been meeting up in smaller groups to train together in recent weeks, within the current Government guidelines.

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Powell has been pleased with the leadership shown by his players, with coaches unable to get involved in training sessions with all of the Tigers squad still on furlough leave.

“We have left the training to the players and they have been getting together in groups, within the current guidelines,” Powell added.

“We can’t get involved because they are still furloughed. They have shown a fair bit of leadership in terms of that and that looks like it is working well so far.

“We will find out when we get back to training where everybody is.

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“They are a pretty good group of professionals so I expect them to be in pretty good shape.”

Powell hopes to have no real injury concerns when Castleford return to action at the beginning of August.

“There are a couple of injuries that have flared up during the lockdown because players have still been training on their own,” he added.

“There is nothing major. We are just under six weeks away from the first game but we should be good.”

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