Challenge Cup preview: Featherstone aim for shock at the Rhinos

The West Yorkshire club are the sole remaining Championship side in the competition as they visit Headingley in the quarter-finals.

Jon Sharp’s side are 250-1 outsiders to lift the famous trophy and are given a 32-point start by bookmakers this evening.

However, they are riding high in the second tier, sat in fourth place just a point adrift of Toulouse in second and also having drawn against runaway leaders Hull KR earlier this year.

They have a raft of former Super League players, too, including Carlile, the 27-year-old hooker who started out his career with Bradford Bulls in 2008.

Speaking to The Yorkshire Post, he recalled: “For my debut, I was on the bench against Leeds at Odsal. I remember it was packed out but I never actually got on.

“I watched it back as I’d recorded it on Sky and the camera kept coming back to me sat there.

“They were in the studio and I think it was Nobby (Brian Noble) – who had signed me at Bradford before leaving for Wigan – who was commentating, talking me up saying: ‘Keal’s going to be on soon.’ But the next minute the game’s finished and I’m still sat on the bench! It was a bit awkward.

“Leeds ended up running away with it as we were short of players at the time.

“I think Iestyn Harris played hooker so we were struggling a bit! But I played the week after against Saints.”

That would be Carlile’s only first-team game for Bulls – he faced stiff competition from the late Terry Newton and Wayne Godwin – and he joined Huddersfield Giants at the end of that season.

He spent three years there before moving on to Hull KR in 2012, gaining more Super League experience, before dropping down into the Championship with Sheffield Eagles in 2015.

Carlile switched to his hometown club this season and is relishing taking on top-flight opposition again.

He will be up against Matt Parcell, the Australian hooker who has been a revelation for Leeds – Challenge Cup winners in 2014 and 2015 – this season.

Carlile conceded: “He has been fantastic. There’s the dual-reg deal with Fev and Leeds so, obviously, we have a few Leeds lads playing with us each week.

“But me and (scrum-half) Anthony Thackeray actually did some pre-season training at Rhinos, too, which was before Parcell got here.

“He’s come and tore it up really. He’s a quality hooker with a really good running game and he’ll be a key figure for them; we need to try limit his running opportunities.

“We haven’t to let him play as he’s done it week in week out this year and has scored some class tries. He’s been really good for them.”

Did Carlile think he might get a return to Super League when under Brian McDermott’s watchful eye and with Leeds still searching for a new No 9?

He responded: “I don’t know about that! It was a good opportunity to come train with the boys and I know a few of them anyway.

“They are all good blokes. We’re all looking forward to Friday’s game now. Obviously, we’ve been quite consistent this season and had some good performances of late.

“We had a disappointing display at Blackpool (losing 42-16 to London Broncos) but we have put that behind us and, obviously, this now is a massive game for us as players and the club as well.

“There’s no pressure on us, really. We’ll go give it our best shot.”

That London loss was Featherstone’s only defeat in their last seven games and they followed it up with a 20-20 draw against Hull KR before winning 36-12 at Bradford on Sunday.

“In that first half against Hull KR we were on top and were disappointed afterwards as we thought we deserved two points rather than one,” continued Carlile, whose club are not alien to shocks, having caused one of the competition’s biggest when beating Hull at Wembley in 1983.

“If we can start against Leeds like we did against them we will give ourselves a chance. You never know in this competition; weird things happen in it.”

Carlile, contracted until the end of 2018, has not ruled out a top-flight return.

“I’d like to see Fev challenge for that ‘Million-Pound Game’ and you never know what might happen then,” he said.

“They are my home-town club and I’d like to see Fev pushing for a Super League place and me being part of it. I have got (Super League) ambitions but I’m happy with Fev as well doing what I’m doing and, hopefully, we can keep on winning like this.”