Leeds Rhinos v Castleford Tigers: Three Super League head to heads

A Grand Final repeat, with a sizeable Elland Road crowd waiting. Leeds versus Castleford should be a rip-roarer, live on Sky Sports Action.

But who will win it? Here's three head to heads that might decide it...

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Kallum Watkins v Michael Shenton

It's the two captains facing off in the centres this week. Kallum Watkins was a surprise choice to succeed Danny McGuire as Leeds skipper, but he's one of Super League's genuine superstars.

Watkins has always possessed the ability to turn a game on its head, be it with a deft flick of his hands or a searing outside break, but now he has to step up and lead his team as well. He has made a decent start to life as captain in 2018, despite going off in that win over St Helens with a leg injury.

Watkins grabbed a double the week before in the win over Hull FC at Headingley and he is already making chances out wide, throwing nine offloads so far. A powerful runner, the centre has 574 metres from his 77 carries so far, that is an average of 7.45m a drive. Look out for him to make his mark against the Tigers on Friday night.

Watkins will come up against another of Super League's centre supremos at Elland Road though. Michael Shenton is also Castleford's captain. He will be looking for revenge on the Rhinos, having missed out on the chance to lift that trophy into the Old Trafford night sky last October.

The Tigers have only played four games so far due to the bad weather, but Shenton leads the way in terms of tries scored, having bagged three, including, like Watkins, a double against Hull FC. His metres are similar to Watkins too, averaging 7.44m from his carries.

Shenton formed a formidable partnership with winger Greg Eden last season, providing 19 try assists. If the Tigers are to make their way through the Super League table, they need more of the same.

Richie Myler v Luke Gale

Not everyone was happy when Leeds announced Richie Myler would be joining from Catalans. There were a few doubts over his ability to organise an attack, and following on from Danny McGuire is clearly no easy task. But Myler has risen to the challenge with aplomb, creating five tries already and scoring one of his own.

He was seriously impressive in the tight win over Hull FC, creating chances aplenty and leading his side round the park. With Joel Moon for company at half-back, Myler has all the kicking responsibility on his shoulders and has already put in 31 attacking kicks, 23 more than any team-mate.

Leeds need him to keep up his excellent start in the Blue and Amber and keep bossing Brian McDermott's side around the park.

It's been a sluggish start by Castleford's own admissions and half-back Luke Gale will be wanting to find his 2017 Man of Steel winning form as soon as possible. The Tigers may have won three of their four fixtures, but they've only scored 69 points and possess a point difference of minus 15.

We are still waiting to see that attack click like it did last year, and Gale is a big part of that. He has one try and two assists so far, but is a marked man after those sensational performances last season. Gale is also gelling with a new half-back partner, Jamie Ellis, after Ben Roberts' move to full-back.

The Tigers are still learning those new patterns of attack, a task made all the more difficult without Zak Hardaker. But Gale has proven his quality so many times before and will want to find top gear on the big stage at Elland Road. Don't bet against it.

Matt Parcell v Paul McShane

How important is Matt Parcell for the Rhinos? He is the life and soul of the team, sparking the side's attack from dummy half, but also setting the tone in defence.

Parcell's 37 runs from the ruck is the third best in Super League and he showed his threat with ball-in-hand scoring that try to seal the win over St Helens last week. But Parcell is also a key cog in defence too. He has made 186 tackles, the third best in the Rhinos squad, only behind Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Brad Singleton.

The hooker has Brad Dwyer to keep him on his toes this season, while also giving him chance to rest at times during the game. Leeds need Parcell to stay fit and keep up the brilliant form he has shown since arriving in England to go well again in 2018.

Paul McShane must be smarting in 2018. He was left out of Wayne Bennett's England's Elite Playing Squad despite having the season of his life in 2017.

The quality in the hooking position is impressive though, with McShane competing with James Roby and Daryl Clark for the No 9 shirt, not to mention Josh Hodgson when he returns from injury after rupturing an ACL in the World Cup. McShane is an all-action hooker; strong in defence and forceful in attack.

He can press the issue from dummy half, is a threat close to the opposition try line and also has a handy kick in his armoury. Games against Leeds are always important for McShane, having failed to nail down a slot with the club he came through the ranks with. Hasn't he proven them wrong. Expect another big game on Friday.