Castleford Tigers suffer double blow as two key players are ruled out of Super League game at Hull KR
Coach Lee Radford, who will name an initial 21-man squad today, confirmed Mamo suffered concussion in last week’s defeat at Warrington Wolves and Edwards has a grade two calf strain.
Mamo could be available for the visit of Hull FC a week on Sunday and Radford said Edwards is likely to be sidelined for between two and four weeks.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdTigers will also be without former Hull KR prop George Lawler who is serving a one-match suspension over a shoulder charge against Warrington.
Radford had no complaints over the punishment and admitted: “I think he probably could have got done for a couple more, it is just one of those things.”
Ex-Leeds Rhinos centre/second-rower Alex Sutcliffe is available for selection despite suffering a throat injury last week and dislocating a finger in training.
Nathan Massey and Adam Milner could come into contention for the first time this season and Radford said: “It would be huge to get them back.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“I think what they are about is probably what we are lacking a bit at the moment.”
But Radford revealed Tigers are still waiting to hear how long half-back Danny Richardson will be out of action after he suffered a fracture in his neck during the round one loss to Salford Red Devils.
He said: “Nobody wants to be nought from three; that’s not the start I wanted, but I am very conscious of where we are at.
“We are finding our feet a little bit and what happened in pre-season, not having a competitive fixture, has hurt us a little bit.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdDespite the importance of the game, Radford stressed he is focusing on performance first.
“We have identified some areas this week we need to be better at,” he said.
“I could not fault their intent last week, I thought we really went after Warrington.
“Their first three sets, the most metres they made on the ground was 26.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“Defensively, that’s an outstanding effort and I really applauded the change of mindset from round one, but what we needed to fix up was the detail at the end of some of those collisions.
“That will go a long way to making that loss a W on Friday night.”
Meanwhile, Radford has given the RFL a “pat on the back” for listening to coaches’ concerns over decisions made by officials during matches.
The Tigers boss was upset about a heavy penalty and six-again count against his team at Warrington, but insisted: “A positive for me is the RFL have given us the opportunity to voice our opinion to the officials post-game.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“It was almost like a counselling session for me; to hear them give reasoning for those decisions is a massive plus.”
Support the YEP and become a subscriber today. You'll enjoy unlimited access to the latest on Leeds United, Leeds Rhinos, Castleford Tigers and Wakefield Trinity, as well as other West Yorkshire rugby league clubs. With our sports digital subscription, you'll also see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times and get exclusive content. Click here to subscribe.