Daryl Powell: Castleford young guns superb

Castleford coach Daryl Powell lauded his younger players following their win at Salford.

The Tigers comfortably beat the Red Devils 24-6 at the AJ Bell Stadium on Friday night.

The win sees Castleford secure a spot in the top four come the end-of-season split, meaning they will have an extra home game in the Super 8s.

And Powell lauded his younger players after the game.

He said: “We have got some young boys out there at the minute and they are doing a good job.

“Kieran [Gill] did well, Truey [Jake Trueman] is doing a great job for us so it is good to see players coming through. Truey came through at Bradford so we can’t take too much credit for him, but he has come to us and is flourishing in a good system with a lot of great players.

“Mitch [Clark] did good for us when came on in his second stint and he is pretty kamikaze, so he has added something a little bit different to us which is very welcome.”

Castleford leapfrogged Warrington Wolves in the Super League table and are now third, just one point behind second-placed Wigan.

And Powell praised his side for putting in a big effort this year, despite suffering from a crippling injury list several weeks.

He added: “It has been a tough year for us.

“Look at Salford’s squad numbers at the moment, we are not as quite as bad as them at the moment but we have been at times this year.

“We beat Warrington with 10 players missing and we beat Wigan with 11 players missing and they were all top-line players. Warrington have had a minimal injury list and Wigan haven’t had a big list either, and we are in there battling so I’m proud of the guys.

“We are in a great spot and we can potentially get Mike McMeeken back next week. Hopefully we can get a couple of bodies back for the Super 8s and then we will see how good we are.”

Earlier this week, Castleford signed Bradford Bulls hooker Reiss Butterworth on loan until the end of the season.

Powell revealed that he sees the 19-year-old having a big future in the game.

On Butterworth, he said: “He is a really good young professional.

“I like the way he plays with the ball, he is a tough defender and someone who has a lot of potential.

“He is playing for our Under-19s at Widnes this weekend so I will watch him in that game and see how he gets on. He has played in the Championship already with Bradford and Batley and has held his own, so to be a hooker and do that is a great sign.”