CASTLEFORD coach Daryl Powell says he had a premonition that his club’s Super League play-off hopes would come down to the last game of the regular season — and a clash with his future club Warrington.

Powell announced at the start of the year that he intended to end his eight-year stay at the Tigers to join the Wolves. He says that he anticipated a season-long rivalry between his current and future employers that will culminate in a win-or-bust clash at the Jungle tonight.

Victory will secure a play-off spot — and ironically a trip to Warrington next Friday. But defeat will signal the end of the season and Powell’s time with his home town club, as well as gifting both Hull KR and Leeds places in the top six before their meeting at Headingley tomorrow.

Powell, who is joining Warrington on a three-year contract, has already engineered victories in two of the three meetings with his next club this season, including a memorable 35-20 success that took them to Wembley, and is hoping to complete the hat-trick.

“I knew it would come to this, to be honest,” he said. “I was pretty certain we’d get drawn against Warrington in the semi-final [of the Challenge Cup] and I always felt the play-offs would come down to this game.

“I thought we had to win six of our last eight games, and we’ve won five.

“It’s just a good opportunity for us. We had to win last week or this week to be in the six and it comes down to this. It’s a great opportunity to put it all on the line and play well.”