It’s the one all Trinity fans have all been waiting for! The eagerly anticipated derby, where bragging rights are at stake!

This long-awaited local derby becomes Trinity’s first focus of the action-packed Easter
schedule, where the two rivals will battle for the annual Adam Watene Trophy. Trinity will
be raring to go after registering an incredible win against Wigan Warriors last Friday night.

Castleford come into this game on the back of a narrow 20-18 loss to Huddersfield Giants,
and will be looking to right their wrongs in front of a home crowd, and return to winning
ways.

It is set to be a tough contest between the two rivals, where Trinity have to opportunity to
leapfrog the Tigers into third position of the table.

Trinity
After three consecutive home wins, Trinity will be looking for their fourth straight win; this time on the road, starting with the short trip to the Mend-a-hose Jungle on Thursday.

A win for Trinity would also mean a third successive away win for the club, after convincing victories over Leeds Rhinos and Hull FC.

A Wigan win came at cost last week, as Trinity faced the utmost adversity; injury hit to the
likes of Anthony England, Reece Lyne, Jacob Miller and Kyle Wood.

In the pre-match build up, Trinity were hit with the blow that halfback pairing Jacob Miller and Danny Brough are set to be side-lined for seven weeks. Anthony England is also set for a spell out, after sustaining a knee injury in the early stages of last week’s
match.

Reece Lyne and Kyle Wood also picked up knocks, but have been given the green light by
Head Physio Ryan Carmody and are named among Chris Chester’s 19-man squad, with Ben Reynolds also set to make his competitive debut at halfback! Chris Annakin also comes into the team, after being recalled from Dewsbury, and the Trinity outfit will go determined.

Opposition – The Tigers
Castleford have also been hit with injuries in recent weeks, yet Daryl Powell’s men appear to have overcome the difficulty, for they currently occupy third place in the Super League table.

After a tight loss last week, the Tigers will be determined to rediscover form and retain their place above Trinity in the league.

The Tigers kickstarted their 2019 campaign with consistency, registering consecutive wins
over Catalans, Hull FC, London Broncos and Hull KR. Their fiery start was halted by highflying Warrington in early March, and since then, the Tigers have won two out of a possible five. Their losses include St Helens, Leeds and Huddersfield, but their emphatic comeback against Wigan Warriors a few weeks ago caught the eye of many, and Trinity cannot afford to take the Tigers lightly.

Daryl Powell has made three changes to his 19-man squad from last week, where Nathan
Massey returns from injury after a stint on the sides. Matt Cook, Tuoyo Egodo and Grant
Millington drop out, and Will Maher and Cory Aston replace them. The Tigers are still
without hooker Paul McShane, who is currently serving a three match ban.

The ones to watch include 2017’s prolific top-try scorer Greg Eden, and his inside man and
long-serving Tiger and captain Michael Shenton, as well as opposite winger Greg Minikin,
and likes of Oliver Holmes, Junior Moors and Jesse Sene-Lefao. Thriving youngster and halfback Jake Trueman is another player Trinity will be looking out for, and not forgetting NRL star and Samoan international Peter Mata’utia.

Previous meetings
Trinity haven’t had the best record against the Tigers in recent seasons, and there is certainly no love lost between the two. Castleford have edged Trinity numerous times, including the 6-11 loss at home to the Tigers last season, and the agonising 2017 24-25 home loss – the infamous late minute Luke Gale drop goal. Other past meetings between the two haven’t been memorable for the right reasons for Trinity over the years, which gives further incentive to overcome this on Thursday night.
Trinity last secured a victory against Castleford in 2015, winning 22-24 away, after a late
Danny Washbrook try under the sticks up the Tigers’ end of the field. Another notable
victory includes the 36-22 win in 2013, where Liam Kay raced down the touchline to score
the match-winner on the 79th minute in front of a home crowd; the win meaning Trinity
finished a place above the Tigers that year.

MATCH PREVIEW BY EMMA HOLLEY