Super League: Castleford Tigers' Alex Mellor aims to halt old club Leeds Rhinos' play-off charge

Alex Mellor always suspected there might be something riding on Castleford Tigers' final game of the Betfred Super League regular season. The fact their opponents and his former club Leeds Rhinos are in the same situation just adds to the occasion.

The 27-year-old second row swapped Headingley for the Mend-A-Hose Jungle in June after agreeing a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Tigers and on Saturday will return to his previous stomping ground for a winner-takes-all showdown live on Sky Sports.

The equation for both teams after suffering losses on Bank Holiday Monday is simple: Win and you are into the play-offs, lose and your 2022 season is over. Mellor, however, is excited by the prospect of a high-stakes finale, particularly with it being against some familiar faces.

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"It is strange," Mellor said. "I looked at the fixtures and knew we had Leeds the last game, so I thought it's a great occasion and I wondered what position we'd be in.

"I always wondered if there'd be anything at stake in this game - would one of us need to win this game to get into the play-offs?

"But it's worked out we're both desperate for the win to get in, so there is a lot of excitement for me going back there anyway.

"But to go back needing a win, it's such a great spectacle and something you want to be involved in and a game you'll remember throughout your career."

Mellor had been with Leeds since joining from Huddersfield Giants ahead of the 2020 season and was part of the team which won the Challenge Cup that year. Yet by this season he had found himself on the fringes due to injuries disrupting his campaign and with his contract due to expire.

So, when Castleford came in it did not take long to accept the offer - not least of all when he found out head coach Lee Radford was keen to bring him in for the remainder of 2022 as well.

It was an amicable departure from Leeds for Mellor following conversations with head coach Rohan Smith and chief executive Gary Hetherington, but while he has good memories from his time at the Rhinos he is very much a Cas man now.

"It was one of those where I fully committed to it," Mellor said. "I came to Cas and loved it, I spoke to Radders when I came here and he seemed great, so it was a bit of a no-brainer for what I wanted to do.

I always wondered if there'd be anything at stake in this game - would one of us need to win this game to get into the play-offs? But it's worked out we're both desperate for the win to get in, so there are a lot of excitement for me going back there anyway.

"I didn't envisage it [moving mid-season], but there's no bad blood from me or Leeds. I had really good conversations with Rohan and Gary when I left and they understood.

"It was like we metaphorically shook hands over the phone, and everything was fine. I had a great time at Leeds, I loved the club, but things are different now and I've moved on."

As far as Radford is concerned, Mellor has proven everything he hoped the Halifax-born forward would be, particularly when it comes to what he has added to Castleford's edge defence and his vocal nature.

"He's been brilliant," Radford said. "He ticks a lot of boxes for us out there on that edge, he's come in with how vocal he's been and his communication skills defensively are really high.

"I'd go as far as to say he's stiffened that edge up for us massively, defensively. He's shown to be a great signing and I think he's going to get better.

"His feedback and communication in reviews is really high as well. That's obviously what you want from a player of his standing."

From Mellor's point of view, moving mid-season helped him quickly settle into life at the club, as did going into action just five days after his signing was confirmed in the 17-16 win at home to Catalans Dragons.

Indeed, those high-pressure situations are where he believes he thrives and it does not come much more high-pressure than a must-win contest away to a team which has won six of its last seven matches as the Rhinos have.

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"I think that helped more because when you come to pre-season and show up first day, you're training and you're around the place and fitting in slowly," Mellor said.

"But when you gain respect and get close to people is when you're playing, so to come and within my first week have a game and go out to battle with these blokes who I'm going to be spending a lot of time with makes you settle really quickly.

"When you're thrown in at the deep end, you don't have a choice but get to know people and know what they're like in a game.

"I think that's when I perform my best, when the pressure is around it and you don't need any motivation to get up for it. You're already there, you're already up for it and it's something I'm really looking forward to."

Watch the winner-takes-all Betfred Super League clash between play-off hopefuls Leeds Rhinos and Castleford Tigers at Headingley live on Sky Sports Arena from 2.30pm on Saturday.