Mariano: Toulouse game “biggest so far”

Frankie Mariano says he and his fellow Rovers are gearing up for Featherstone’s “biggest game of the season so far”.

The Rovers welcome third-placed Toulouse Olympique to the Big Fellas Stadium on Sunday, looking to move clear of the French club in second place while maintaining pressure on pacesetting Hull KR.

Mariano helped Featherstone overcome Bradford last time out, his side progressing through into the fifth round of the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup as a result.

But the towering back-rower, who joined the club from Super League Castleford Tigers in December, believes Featherstone must “go up another gear” to see off Toulouse on home soil.

“It is going to be massive game on Sunday – the biggest game of the season so far by quite a way,” said the Scotland international.

“Toulouse have shown they are capable of beating just about anyone in this division, home and away, so the pressure is on us.

“Given the way the league table is shaping up, we know this could prove a really crucial game come the end of the regular season.

“Losing at home was never part of our plan in 2017, so we will be looking to put the Rochdale defeat behind us by giving a performance for our supporters to enjoy this weekend.”

Mariano insists momentum will be key to the club’s overall chances of success this year.

And the former Wakefield Trinity player is keen to see the Rovers string together a run of victories in the weeks and months ahead.

“We started the season with four wins on the bounce and confidence was really high,” he said.

“We have won our last two now, with the victory over Sheffield in the league and Bradford in the cup, but we need to stretch this winning streak.

“We have a tough run of fixtures coming up but if we can pick up the wins it will put us in a really strong position going into the middle part of the season.”