Leeds Rhinos veteran's 'hate us' warning ahead of 'tasty' Castleford Tigers derby
Veteran Leeds Rhinos winger Ryan Hall has predicted a “tasty” battle at Castleford Tigers on Saturday.
Rhinos are seeking a third successive win, which would strengthen their hold on a top-four place in Betfred Super League, but - after struggling in the opening half of the campaign - Tigers thrashed Salford Red Devils 48-16 in the previous round and Hall warned: “It is always a challenge going to Castleford.”
He said: “They have got basically a new forward pack since the last time we played them and the men in charge are passionate ex-Rhinos players. Going to Castleford is always tasty when you are wearing a Rhinos shirt because Castleford hate Leeds, let’s be honest.
“I don’t think Leeds are very fond of Castleford either, so it is always tasty going to their ground and trying to keep focused on the game, rather than everything that goes on around. The fans are right on top of you, they have got passionate, loud fans who give it to us all through the game, so we have to put that to one side. We have got a job to do and hopefully we can have the right mentality about it and get it right.”
Leeds hit back to beat Hull FC 18-16 last weekend thanks to a 79th-minute try by Hall, but he accepts they need to play better on Saturday. “We were scrappy,” he reflected. “We gave them too much of the ball. In the first half we had the ball for 10 minutes and they had it for 15 - so 50 per cent more than us. You just can’t do that.
“The plan we had during the week went out the window, but the game was won on desire and heart. Against Hull KR we were in front and took our foot off the gas and Hull KR, being the good team they are, came back and beat us.
“We have been talking about the last 10 minutes of games and how, instead of going down a notch, we should raise it a gear and see out those games. Using boxing terms, they are the championship rounds. On Friday I am glad we came through in the last 10 minutes. That is one tick on the to-do list. The rest of it, we’ll go back to the drawing board and try to do better next time.”
Though Leeds have won five of their last seven matches, Hall reckons they could be higher on the table. He stated: “The games we’ve lost this year, in the one at Catalans, we were terrible - they deserved to win that one. Every other game has been a narrow loss and we had realistic chances to win those games.
“If things had gone differently, we could have been sat at the top of the league with only one loss against our name. That hasn’t happened, but it does make us realise we are a good team.
“Leeds Rhinos over the last six or seven years have really been struggling. It was hard to put your finger on what they were missing, but I can genuinely say now we are a good team. If we keep on going and doing things in the same fashion, we will end up in a good position and chasing the teams above us.
“That’s what we are really going for. It is a long season and we know where we want to get to, it’s just about sticking in there now and getting it done.”