Powell: Tough place to go

• Sam Powell previews Saturday’s Betfred Super League game against Castleford.
• Powell: “It’s going to be tough. It’s a hostile ground and it’s a tough place to go. They have had a week off, so they are all fresh.”
• Watch the hooker’s interview on Wigan TV HERE.

Sam Powell knows the challenge of travelling to Castleford this weekend following Wigan’s Cup success.

The No.9 has missed the Warriors’ last six games after picking up a ban in the Good Friday defeat to St Helens in the middle of April.

Powell told Wigan TV: “It’s going to be tough. It’s a hostile ground and it’s a tough place to go. They have had a week off, so they are all fresh.”

The hooker touched on how he felt during his six-match ban, saying: “It has been a long six weeks, sometimes having to train on my own in the gym. This is one I’ve taken on and trying to better myself in other ways. I try to be positive around the lads.

“Three to four days after the disciplinary I wasn’t myself and then it was making sure I was positive, making sure I did the best I could for the team so we could go to Tottenham in the best shape, I wouldn’t want to be a burden to anyone.

“I was watching games where I wasn’t going to play but where I could give people advice which is big for me. Matty [Matt Peet], Briersy [Lee Briers], and Lockers [Sean O’Loughlin] have let me have an insight into a few things with how things roll, and the last six weeks have been quite positive for me even though I’ve not been playing.”

Powell spoke about youngster Brad O’Neill who has filled in the gap in the hooker position: “He’s done fantastic over the last six weeks, he’s a 19-year-old who has been asked to come in and play big, big minutes.”

By Ryan Kuzio