Grand Final: Castleford without Zak Hardaker as Leeds given Stevie Ward boost
Last Updated: 07/10/17 4:57pm
Castleford will be without Zak Hardaker while Leeds' Stevie Ward has been given the all-clear ahead of Saturday's Betfred Super League Grand Final, live on Sky Sports Arena from 5pm.
Hardaker, who agreed a permanent deal with Castleford from Leeds in July, had been a key spark for Daryl Powell's side all season, but will miss the Old Trafford showpiece due to a "breach of club rules".
The full-back had scored 13 tries to lead the Tigers to the League Leaders' Shield, and looked to have settled under the man who gave him his professional debut when he was 18-years-old.
With Hardaker unavailable, Powell makes two changes to the squad that secured a dramatic golden-points victory against St Helens in the semi-final.
Oliver Holmes and Jy Hitchcox return to the squad and Castleford's head coach cannot wait to take his squad to Manchester.
"Castleford was the club I grew up supporting, the place means so much to me, and to now be the head coach at the club I supported as a boy and to take this team into the Grand Final is such a great opportunity and we are in a great place," said Powell.
"We have a great opportunity to finish the season off with the biggest trophy on Saturday night in front of a packed-out stadium at Old Trafford. I expect a real tough battle on Saturday, we have good quality players across the park and we'll focus on us."
Leeds forward Stevie Ward has been cleared to play just a week after suffering a dislocated shoulder.
Ward sustained the injury in the Rhinos' semi-final victory over Hull FC last Friday, with doctors unable to pop his shoulder back in until the following morning.
Having missed the 2012 and 2015 Grand Finals due to injury, Leeds head coach Brian McDermott said he would give Ward as long as possible to prove his fitness, and the 23-year-old has been cleared to take his place in the Rhinos' 19-man squad.
On his 424th appearance for the club, Danny McGuire will captain the Rhinos for the last time and his farewell will be made alongside his longstanding team-mate Rob Burrow.
Between them, the duo have accumulated 2,198 points for Leeds and both made their club debuts back in 2001.
Leeds' squad includes five players that featured in the head coach's first Grand Final win back in 2011.
Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Liam Sutcliffe are both included having missed the 2015 Grand Final win through injury and Sutcliffe is one of six Grand Final debutants in Leeds' squad along with Ashton Golding, Matt Parcell, Brett Ferres, Anthony Mullally and Jack Walker.
Leeds: Carl Ablett, Tom Briscoe, Rob Burrow, Adam Cuthbertson, Brett Ferres, Mitch Garbutt, Ashton Golding, Ryan Hall Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Jimmy Keinhorst, Danny McGuire (c), Joel Moon, Anthony Mullally, Matt Parcell, Brad Singleton, Liam Sutcliffe, Jack Walker, Stevie Ward, Kallum Watkins
Castleford: Matt Cook, Greg Eden, Alex Foster, Luke Gale, Jy Hitchcox, Oliver Holmes, Nathan Massey, Mike McMeeken, Paul McShane, Grant Millington, Adam Milner, Greg Minikin, Junior Moors, Joel Monaghan, Ben Roberts, Jesse Sene-Lefao, Michael Shenton, Gadwin Springer and Jake Webster
