Daryl Powell: ‘For me to leave a legacy at the club would be unbelievable’

Ahead of their Challenge Cup quarter-final tie at the weekend, Castleford Tigers head coach Daryl Powell has said it would be ‘unbelievable to leave a legacy at the club’ ahead of his planned exit at the end of the campaign.

Speaking to Prost before the second clash between the two sides in eight days, Powell understood what it would mean to make it through against Salford on Saturday.

“Look it’d be fantastic to win something, absolutely. Any year never-mind in your last year.

“For me to leave a legacy at the club would be unbelievable, in this my final season.”

Castleford have a few players of real quality and everybody knows the threat halfback Jake Trueman poses. Also not forgetting Paul McShane, who together with Trueman may prove key for the Tigers if they are to make it through to the final four.

“Your pivotal players, Paul McShane’s a big part, Jake Trueman, Danny Richardson, Niall Evalds. Those boys who make a lot of the decisions on the field are absolutely pivotal.

“The whole team, they all play a big part but those boys, the guys who pull the strings, it’s really important that they play well”.

Talking about the threat Salford will pose, Powell said, “they’ve got some experience on the other side of the field, people like [Tuimoala] Lolohea, Kevin Brown and [Kallum] Watkins. So our guys need to play above and beyond”.

Warrington Wolves, who the 55-year-old will be leaving Cas to coach from 2022 and beyond, are also in the quarter-finals this weekend when they face the Catalan Dragons.

A potential semi-final or even Wembley final against the Wolves could be on the horizon for Powell and his men, a tie which Powell wouldn’t be afraid to receive.

“It’s always an interesting question. At this moment in time they’re another team aren’t they and I work for Castleford Tigers at the moment and am fully focused on this.

“You face all those things when you come to it”.

“For us it’s just about getting there and making sure we’re in the fight, to have a chance to win the competition this year. The only thing we can do at this moment in time is to beat Salford”.

It is sure to be an interesting match up at the weekend, after conflicting starts to their Super League seasons respectively, we await to see who will book their place in the semi-final and whether Powell’s wish of leaving a legacy at Castleford will come true.

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