Castleford Tigers coach Ryan Carr admits he is hopeful Krystian Mapapalangi will be ‘in the mix’ to feature against Leeds Rhinos this Sunday.
Mapapalangi was a late withdrawal from the Tigers’ side that were beaten by Leigh Leopards last weekend, after succumbing to a leg injury that had been plaguing him for a number of weeks.
However, with a longer turnaround this week going into the clash against the side currently top of the Super League table, Carr insists the centre has every chance of being cleared to play.
When asked about his fitness going into that clash, Carr said: “He’s been working really hard on his rehab – he has had a dead leg for a few weeks now, and he kept getting a whack on it. We’ll get a read on him later in the week but he’s definitely in the mix.
Carr also admitted Jordan Lane’s availability is unclear after leaving the field with a hip flexor injury in the loss against the Leopards. “He’s never had it before and it’s given him a bit of grief,” he said of Lane.
There is every hope Tyler Dupree will also be fit to feature after missing last week’s game with a HIA – but he still has to work through the necessary protocol in order to be cleared to return. “We have to see if he ticks every box and gets through every stage of that,” Carr said of the England international.
And the Castleford coach admitted he was delighted with his side’s application and effort last week against Leigh.
“The effort was there for sure, there were some unbelievable efforts and responses to going a man down and the effort part was great,” he said.
“The execution was not as good as we wanted it to be but regardless of the circumstances, the effort was fantastic.”
Castleford will name their 21-man squad for the West Yorkshire derby against the Rhinos on Friday lunchtime.