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Tigers eye play-off berth

Author: Brandon Barker
Date: 06/09/2009
Rugby League betting

In the penultimate round of Super League, there is everything to play for, apart from the bottom two. Twelve teams still have play-off ambitions, but the top-eight should take shape after Sunday's games.

Three of the six clubs that need to secure wins in their last fixtures are in action on Sunday as Harlequins take on Castleford Tigers, while Bradford Bulls welcome lowly Salford City Reds to Odsal.

If Harlequins and Bradford do sneak into the top-eight, they will be ready for the play-offs as their remaining fixtures are effectively cup matches, given they are must-wins if their 2009 campaigns are to stay alive.

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Castleford travel to the capital knowing that they can go a long way to securing their place in the play-offs for the first time since 2002.

The Tigers head into the weekend two points ahead of ninth-placed Warrington Wolves and, if the Challenge Cup winners do not pick up two points this weekend, one win from Castleford's final two matches will do.

But Terry Matterson's men have not won since July and will be keen to end their slow slide down the league table just in time.

The sides met on the opening day of the season this year, with Quins leaving the Jungle with a 12-8 win.

But for Quins, who were as high as fourth in the table past the halfway point of the year, the fixture represents a do-or-die scenario as their promising opening has blown up in flames and they have tasted victory on only one occasion in their last eight outings.

Quins come into the fixture as slight handicap sportsbook favourites and the match could be low-scoring due to the lack of confidence in both sides.

Bradford will expect to see off Salford, who have often been on the receiving end of narrow defeats this term.

The Reds have had to deal with plenty of off-field distractions this year and none more so than the future of prize asset and lynchpin Richard Myler.

The young scrum-half is expected to engineer a big-money move to Warrington for next season as months of speculation have certainly affected his and his team-mates' performances.

Another young star, Jordan Turner, is also expected to leave the club, leaving boss Shaun McRae with plenty of work to do.

He may use the Reds' remaining outings to try out some new formations as he prepares for life without some of his established stars in 2010.

The Bulls have had a disastrous year, made all-the-more frustrating for their fans by their recent resurgence which has kept faint hopes of a play-off berth alive.

Bradford are among the form sides in the competition, but it may prove that their upturn in fortunes will be too little, too late. Steve McNamara will demand nothing less than a win, regardless.

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