AS a Castleford lad, James Clare admits he would love to face deadly rivals Featherstone in tomorrow’s Championship opener.

The 24-year-old Bulls winger came through the ranks at Wheldon Road and has traditionally viewed Rovers as the enemy.

Clare said: “Growing up in Cas, you knew all about the ‘Flatcappers’ at Fev and you tried to avoid them.

“I remember watching Fev beat Cas in the Challenge Cup in 2012 and I was devastated sat there in the stands.

“It would be great to beat them in our opening game this weekend. I know a few of their lads and played with Michael Channing at Castleford.”

Clare opened the scoring against the Tigers in last week’s friendly win at Odsal, touching down a clever kick from Adam O’Brien in the left corner.

But it remains to be seen if he will start tomorrow’s game as Danny Williams has been a fixture in the side on the left wing and Omari Caro has played regularly on the opposite flank.

Clare said: “Danny Williams and Omari Caro are my key threats on the wing but the youngsters are all pushing for spots as well and they showed their potential against Castleford last week.

“I thought Ethan Ryan had a great game in the centres and then you’ve got players like Matty Blythe, who can fill in absolutely anywhere and is a man you can always rely on.

“It was the first time I had really played with Matty last week and I really enjoyed it.

“He’s an incredible worker and an incredible talker, so that just makes my job so much easier.”

Clare can also play full back, of course, but new signing Richie Mathers appears certain to be first-choice in that position.

Clare added: “I’ve enjoyed playing full back but even if Jimmy said ‘James, I’m going to put you in the middle this week’, then I’d still pull that shirt on and give it a good go.

“I feel more comfortable on the wing anyway, so it’s probably best for me to be there and maybe full back as a covering position.

“I could maybe even just learn from Richie Mathers because he’s got that experience to pass down to players like me.

“I’ll be listening to what he says, watching him, hopefully pick up one or two things and maybe nail that full back spot later in the year.

“I was only in the academy when Richie was at Cas so, while I never played with him, I did train with him a couple of times.

“But you know what Richie is all about because he wears his heart on his sleeve.

“He’s a great player and won the Super League title and Challenge Cups, so he has a lot of experience.

“It’s definitely extra motivation when new players come in but it’s a learning curve as well.

“You want to pick up tips along the way but I’m going to be pushing Richie to earn that spot as well.

“Jimmy makes it clear that the 17 is never nailed on and the team could change every single week.

“You’re basically training for your spot every single day in training, so you’ve just got to be switched on and be ready for any test that he gives you.

“The sooner we can get a 17 nailed down and stick with them, you build relationships.”