Leeds Rhinos v Castleford Tigers: Joe Westerman fuelled by childhood hatred of big-city neighbours

Westerman grew up supporting Castleford with an inherent dislike of big-city neighbours Leeds.

He was nine when the Tigers claimed a stunning play-off win at Headingley in 1999, but the Rhinos were the dominant team in the fixture throughout Westerman’s formative years and beyond.

The tables have turned in recent times with Castleford winning 16 of the previous 21 meetings between the West Yorkshire rivals, including twice this season.

Castleford hold a five-point advantage in Super League, leaving Leeds with no room for error ahead of the latest duel.

Although Westerman appreciates the value of a win in Newcastle in the context of the play-off battle, he is just as motivated by the bragging rights.

“It means more to me being a local lad,” Westerman told The Yorkshire Post.

“Leeds were always my main local derby growing up. A lot say Wakefield but I never looked at it like that.

“As a kid, it was always about Leeds and hating Leeds.

“It’ll be a good game and I’m really looking forward to it. A win would be sweet and it’d keep them down further behind us.”

But for the intense rivalry between the clubs, Westerman may well have been lining up for the Rhinos this weekend.

The 32-year-old came close to linking back up with former Hull FC coach Richard Agar at Headingley at the end of 2019, only to be put off by a nagging feeling before eventually joining Wakefield Trinity.

Fast forward three years and Westerman is back in the Castleford engine room, topping the tackle count in back-to-back games to help extend the club’s winning run to three matches.

After seeing Paul McShane, Nathan Massey and Jake Trueman drop out of the team that beat Huddersfield Giants last time out, Westerman will need to lead from the front again at St James’ Park.

“It’s a different game,” he said. “It’s kind of finals rugby.

“You’re walking out into a stadium of 20,000, 30,000 or 40,000 people. As a young kid who hasn’t had a taste of finals rugby, it gives them a bit of nervous pressure.

“I think it’s good for the sport and for Newcastle to try get people watching and playing rugby up there.

“I know the Cas fans will be buzzing to get there and get behind us against Leeds Rhinos.”

The Tigers head into Magic Weekend in fifth spot, two points better off than Hull and four clear of seventh-placed Salford Red Devils.

Head coach Lee Radford recently claimed a fifth-place finish would be an “unbelievable” achievement for Castleford, a statement Westerman goes along with.

“It would be a massive achievement,” said Westerman.

“We’re looking to finish as high as we can up the table and then anything can happen in the semi-finals.

“It’s down to us being consistent and working on the effort areas and one percenters that we talk about each week.

“We’ve got a good side with good players who are naturally gifted. The little areas get you the wins as we’ve shown the last few weeks.

“We’ve got to keep to those standards.”

While the Tigers are hitting form at the right time, Leeds are still striving for consistency under Rohan Smith.

The Rhinos won three and lost three of Smith’s first six games in charge, although they travel to Newcastle tomorrow on the back of an emphatic victory over Hull.

It has the look of a vital fixture for Leeds in their quest for a play-off spot - but Smith continues to have little interest in the bigger picture.

“I haven’t looked at the table myself but I understand that Cas are ahead of us and there are two points up for grabs this weekend,” he said.

“The priority for us is to play well and if we play well, we believe we’ll be a fair chance of winning.”

The Rhinos will wear a limited edition kit designed by Rob Burrow’s three young children, while Macy and Maya will lead the teams out at St James’ Park.

Smith is determined to give the Burrow family a night to remember.

“I’d imagine it’s going to be very emotional, even for myself,” he said.

“I’ve only been here a short period of time but I obviously followed Rob’s career from afar and coached against the Rhinos in my earlier coaching days. Rob was such a great player and defied everything to achieve phenomenal things as a player.

“When Kev pushed him up in the 10k last Sunday and came past me, it really shook me and made me realise what we’re representing here as a club: we’re representing all those that came before us and trying to keep things going.

“The impact Rob has had on the club and the whole city is phenomenal so we want to do him and his family justice.”