Friday Interview: Brett Ferres

A crowd of 82,134 packed into Wembley in May 1986 to witness scrum-half Bob Beardmore help the Tigers beat Hull Kingston Rovers 15-14 in a tense final.

Current Tigers star Ferres has grown up in his home town of Castleford on stories of their Wembley triumph, inspired by Lance Todd Trophy winner Beardmore, and the forward believes the current crop of youngsters at Wheldon Road can finally come of age and consign the class of ’86 to the history books.

The Tigers sit seventh in Super League and next month face Huddersfield Giants in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals, just two games away from a Wembley return.

It is an exciting time to be a Castleford fan, those who witnessed their remarkable fighting spirit to battle back from 22-4 down against Wigan Warriors last Sunday to draw 22-22 will testify to that.

The 25-year-old Ferres knows if he is to stand any chance of gaining further England recognition when this year’s end-of-season Four Nations tournament comes along, then success with the Tigers is the best way of pushing himself into coach Steve McNamara’s thoughts.

“The Cup game is massive, we have one small eye on that,” said the former Bradford Bulls and Wakefield star.

“We need to concentrate on the league but we have made a really big thing of doing well in the Challenge Cup this year. Cas have not won it for a long time, since 1986, so it would be really nice and special if we could get there.

“The Huddersfield tie will be a cracker. We played them last week and were on the wrong side of a bad result, but we know where we need to be and, hopefully, can peak at the right time for the quarter-finals.”

Castleford started the season in stunning fashion but fell away with some poor results, including a terrible Easter programme.

But recent performances have improved and Ferres, pictured right, believes their fightback against Wigan showed they will be no pushovers this season.

“We didn’t really perform in the first half (against Wigan), we played well for long periods of time, but gave them little sniffs and with a good side like Wigan you can’t afford to do that,” he said. “They took their chances really well.

“We played okay, to be honest, it was just defensive lapses. I didn’t think we deserved to be 22-4 down but that’s the way it sometimes goes in rugby, you give Wigan a sniff and they take it.

“We had a chat with Terry (Matterson) at half-time and came out in the second half and played some good rugby.

“Someone asked me afterwards, ‘is it a point lost or a point won?’ and I think it was a point lost at the end. We came out all guns blazing in the second half, our defence backed us up, and we were probably unlucky not to win. It was a shame it went down to a goal kick, as we were probably the better side by a score or two.”

Tigers sit well-placed going into tonight’s trip to Salford City Reds, but with a game in hand on most clubs above them.

“I think from a team aspect, if you had said we would be lying seventh and a couple of points clear, halfway through the season, most people would have taken it,” said Ferres.

“But we are a little bit disappointed in how we have gone for the last six weeks, it’s been a bit of a blip. We lost a few games on the bounce and the Easter weekend killed us, but we seem to be on the right track now and have been building this week for Friday’s game against Salford. It’s a must-win game for us.”

Ferres was capped by England in 2006 while playing for the Bulls and accepts his path to further England recognition is blocked by a strong current squad.

But the bruising forward is not writing off his international career just yet.

“I started the season well, got a few bumps and bruises, but like the team, Easter got me a little bit. I just want to try and kick on now and get in the frame for England at the end of the year.

“It’s really good playing for Tigers, it’s my hometown club, I am a Cas lad and we have a really good mix at the minute. There’s some good young kids coming through, which we are starting to reap the fruits of, and a few older heads. We could go a long way in the next few years.

“I missed out on the game last week (against the Exiles), but I know where I am as a player now and what I need to be doing to get to that sort of level.”

Of a possible Four Nations call, he added: “You never say never. But there’s a few good back-rowers about, so I just need to worry about myself. Staying injury free is a bonus, and deliver some good consistent performances so I can push my name forward for the squad.”