Ryan Carr and Matt Peet have named their respective Castleford Tigers and Wigan Warriors squads for Sunday’s round one clash.
The two sides go head to head at Wheldon Road this weekend and both will be keen to get the season off to a winning start.
Carr will be taking charge of his first Super League game in charge of the Tigers after joining the club in the off-season, but he’ll be more than aware of difficult season Castleford had last year. As such, a win on the opening day, against the odds, would certainly go a long way towards building momentum and belief in West Yorkshire.
Wigan won’t have to look far for motivation this season having ended the 2025 trophiless. They were beaten in the Grand Final by Hull KR in October and they’ll be determined to set the record straight.
Peet has been boosted coming into this weekend by the availability of Harry Smith. The scrum-half underwent surgery on a wrist issue during the off-season and didn’t feature in any of Wigan’s pre-season fixtures or in the Challenge Cup last week.
However, while it remains to be seen if he will play, he has been named in the 21-man squad.
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Jack Farrimond has also been included if Smith isn’t deemed to be ready come Sunday afternoon. Oliver Wilson and Abbas Miski appear to be the only other injury concerns.
As expected Carr is without Zac Cini, with the centre picking up a hamstring injury in pre-season. Semi Valemei also has a hamstring problem, while Louis Senior will be out long-term with an ankle issue.
Cain Robb is missing through injury, too, while Jack Ashworth sits out through suspension.
Carr has included 10 new signings in his round one squad, with the likes of Blake Taafe, Brock Greacen and Tom Weaver set for Super League debuts.
Castleford Tigers v Wigan Warriors 21-man squads
Castleford Tigers: Blake Taafe, Darnell McIntosh, Mikaele Ravalawa, Daejarn Asi, Tom Weaver, Renouf Atoni, Liam Hood, George Lawler, Jordan Lane, Alex Mellor, Joe Stimson, Brock Greacen, Joe Westerman, Chris Atkin, Fletcher Rooney, Brad Singleton, Jason Qareqare, Krystian Mapapalangi, Jenson Windley, Sam Hall, Jimmy Beckett.
Wigan Warriors: Jai Field, Zach Eckersley, Adam Keighran, Jake Wardle, Liam Marshall, Bevan French, Harry Smith, Ethan Havard, Brad O’Neill, Luke Thompson, Junior Nsemba, Liam Farrell, Kaide Ellis, Sam Walters, Patrick Mago, Oliver Partington, Jack Farrimond, Sam Eseh, Tom Forber, Kian McDermott, Dayon Sambou.
