Super League: Warrington Wolves head coach Daryl Powell on his Castleford Tigers reunion – ‘It’s just about winning’ | Rugby League News

A week after facing another former club, Leeds Rhinos, Daryl Powell’s second game in charge of Warrington sees him reunited with Castleford. Watch Thursday’s Betfred Super League clash at the Halliwell Jones Stadium live on Sky Sports Main Event and Mix from 7.30pm (kick-off 8pm)

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Warrington Wolves head coach Daryl Powell explains the importance of having familiar faces from Castleford Tigers alongside him at his new club

It came as no surprise to Daryl Powell that, when the fixture list for the 2022 Betfred Super League season was revealed, the Rugby League Gods had handed him encounters with two of his former clubs for his first two matches in charge of Warrington Wolves.

A trip to Leeds Rhinos, the club he ended his playing career with and got his first opportunity as a Super League head coach with, is now followed by his first home game as Wolves boss and it comes against the team he left at the end of 2021 after eight-and-a-half seasons in charge, Castleford Tigers – live on Sky Sports on Thursday night.

Powell makes no secret of the fact he still holds an affinity for the Tigers, who he guided to a memorable League Leaders’ Shield success and first Grand Final appearance in 2017 along with reaching the Challenge Cup final twice, but while he allowed himself a wry smile at the opening matches of his Warrington reign, he is determined not to get drawn into the emotion of facing Cas.

“I suppose they create different stories, but for me, it’s just about winning,” Powell said, reflecting on coming up against the Rhinos and Tigers in his first competitive outings in charge at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

“I had some fantastic years there, but you move on. I’ve got a lot of respect for everything Castleford stand for as a club, but it’s one game in a long season and I think they’d say exactly the same.

“You don’t spend eight years somewhere and not have an affinity for the place. Wherever I’ve played and coached, I always try to really embed myself in the place and be part of the furniture, and I felt like I really did that at Castleford.”

Powell has taken the decision to embed himself at Warrington to such an extent that he and his family have upped sticks and relocated to Cheshire from West Yorkshire, rather than drive the hour-and-a-half commute down the M62 each day.

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Highlights as Leeds Rhinos took on Warrington Wolves in the Betfred Super League

Two of his most trusted lieutenants, assistant coach Ryan Sheridan and analyst Ste Mills, have joined the 56-year-old at the Wolves too, while Oliver Holmes and Peter Mata’utia have made the same switch on the playing side as well.

Meanwhile, Powell’s opposite number on Thursday night, new Tigers head coach Lee Radford, is facing an impending clash with the club he both captained and coached in Hull FC two weeks from now.

But it is the match in between his return to the Black and Whites and this week’s showdown against his predecessor’s new club which Radford has an eye on.

“The one in the middle is more important, against Hull KR,” Radford joked. “I live in East Hull so it’s far more important than either of those two.

I had some fantastic years there, but you move on. I’ve got a lot of respect for everything Castleford stand for as a club, but it’s one game in a long season and I think they’d say exactly the same.

Warrington head coach Daryl Powell

“I’ve got to win that one because my life won’t be worth living if I don’t!”

Powell is revered at Castleford for the work he did in reviving the club’s fortunes after joining from Featherstone Rovers in 2013, overseeing a rise from battling against relegation to being play-off regulars and being in the mix for major honours.

However, he is fully prepared that he might not necessarily get the friendliest of receptions from their travelling contingent this week, particularly if the Wolves make it two wins from two after fighting back to beat Leeds, who played much of the match with 12 men following an early red card for James Bentley, 22-20 in the season opener.

“I might get a bit of stick, I think, but it is what it is,” Powell said.

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Daryl Powell recalls what happened when he and assistant Ryan Sheridan got Castleford’s squad to analyse their performances as players back in the day

“I love both sides of it about rugby league; I was getting some stick at the weekend about the referee and how I had him in my pocket!

“That sort of banter is always good, and I’ll take it in whatever spirit it comes.”

Having established a reputation as one of the best coaches in the game for the work he did with Castleford, Powell is under no illusions about the expectations on him at the Wolves where he has been brought in to help deliver a first Super League title to the club.

He recognises if they are to achieve that in 2022 then there are plenty of improvements to make following the opening match of the season, but knows it is doing the simple things that will ultimately yield success.

“I get asked that question every time, but the key motivation at the club is to win things and you never want to hide away from that,” Powell said about whether it is realistic to envisage this can finally be Warrington’s year.

“The key for us is to get some consistency in the way we perform, and I know that’s a boring answer…but if we do that every week then we’ve got high-quality players who will be in with a great shout – if we can get our consistency right.”

Sky Sports will again be broadcasting extensive live coverage of the Betfred Super League in 2022, including 25 games between February and April, Magic Weekend and the Grand Final. Watch Warrington aim to make it two wins from two against a Castleford side aiming to rebound from an opening weekend loss, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Mix on Thursday from 7.30pm.