In past seasons, Friday’s clash between Castleford Tigers and Hull FC would be billed as an early relegation four-pointer.
Castleford have given themselves some breathing space at the bottom but are only three points better off than Hull and London Broncos, who have each won just one game.
Fortunately for the Yorkshire rivals, automatic relegation has been scrapped in favour of a new grading system.
Hull are not in danger of dropping out of the top 12, while the Tigers remain confident of doing enough to secure a place in Super League for 2025.
The jeopardy may not be the same but Castleford head coach Craig Lingard has stressed that the match carries its own importance.
“It’s significant because we’re competitors and it’s a professional sport,” said Lingard, whose side were hammered by St Helens last time out on home soil.
“We’re not just going to go out there and be comfortable that we’re not going to get relegated because of the IMG status; we’ve got to go out there, perform, represent the club and make sure people want to come back through these gates to watch the team week in, week out.
“We’ve got to make sure we’re showing that we’re making strides and still getting better. We talk all the time about it being a long-term project but you’ve got to have short-term wins as well.
“For us to maintain the confidence we’ve got and the growth we believe we’re doing, these are the games that we’ve got to be winning.
“Certainly after our last showing at home, we’ve got to put on a performance for the fans. We owe them one.”
In an attempt to create a feel-good factor ahead of the visit of Hull, the Tigers have announced a series of retentions with a focus on building a team around a core of homegrown players.
Louis Senior, along with twin brother Innes, has committed his long-term future to the club but the winger must wait to add to his five tries in Castleford colours after suffering a serious injury.
“We thought it was a dead leg but we sent him for a scan and he’s ruptured his quad and is going to be out between 12 to 14 weeks unfortunately,” said Lingard, who confirmed that Paul McShane would replace the injured Jacob Miller in the halves this week.
“It’s another one that’s difficult to understand. It’s something that’s happened in a game, not training. It just seems to be one of those things that when your luck is against you, you seem to pick these things up.
“Fortunately for us, Jason Qareqare came through the reserves game against Saints unscratched. He’ll now come back and slot in for Louis.”
The match sees Tex Hoy face Hull for the first time since his release last month.
Lingard is conscious of putting too much pressure on the full-back ahead of the swift reunion.
“I’m not expecting him to pull trees up just because he’s playing his old club,” said Lingard. “I expect him to pull trees up because he wants to do well for the team he’s currently playing for.
“I don’t think he left Hull with a sour taste in his mouth; I think he left on amicable terms and understands that sport is a business.
“You don’t always have a successful time at every club you’re at. That was just one of those occasions where it didn’t work out for player or club.
“We’re hoping Tex is going to have a good game to hopefully get two points on the board for us.”
Hull’s struggles have continued since Hoy’s departure, with the most recent defeat at London extending their losing run to nine games.
By and large, though, interim boss Simon Grix feels the Black and Whites are slowly beginning to turn the corner.
“I’d like to think the first few games have shown what I’d like them to be about,” he said. “That gritty mentality to keep turning up and getting our effort right – the talentless stuff.
“That has to be our focus for the rest of the year. We just want a good, honest team.
“There’s definitely improvement in us from where we are right now so hopefully we can get on an upward trajectory and head in the right direction.”
A win at Wheldon Road would take Hull to within one point of Castleford in the Super League table but Grix has warned his side that it will not come easy.
“They’ve been what they said they were going to be in the off-season,” he added. “They anchored expectations around what they’re spending, who they’re signing and where they’re putting their money in line with the IMG stuff.
“They’ve been a team of try-hards but they have got some quality and skill in there in (Joe) Westerman and Sam Wood who’s showing some great form in the centres.
“They’re a good side and play very well at home. We’ve got a tough fixture in front of us.”
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