Daryl Powell is in no doubt that he faces one of the biggest tests of his long career when he lines up opposite Henry Paul at Murrayfield.

The 34-year-old has seen it all in a distinguished career but the prospect of trying to bottle up Bulls ace Henry Paul is one that he relishes.

"Henry for me is the best player in the competition right now," says the former Keighley Cougars player-coach. "He's an outstanding individual and has been for a number of years. Robbie is also very quick and dangerous.

"But they also have so many options. Brad Mackay is playing outstandingly well and their forwards are running over the top of everyone.

"So it looks like a Bradford win but it all looked like a Wigan win two years ago and that didn't happen. If people write us off so be it and we will just go about our job."

Five defeats from their opening six league games have hardly been the best preparation for the showpiece event but Powell says too much is being read into their loss of form.

"I think you can expect a different Leeds on the day," he said. "You certainly can't write a script for a cup final. They are big occasions and massive games and the team that comes out with the best performance will win.

"We have plenty of big game players who know how to win big games and I expect that to come out of us.

"I can accept criticism of the team and the way we have performed because we can't hide the fact that we haven't been playing well. But I think there has been a fair bit made up about what is going on behind the scenes. It is absolute garbage.

"We are solid as a unit and don't have any problems with personalities and Dean Lance is a good coach and no-one has any problem with him.

"We are just not performing and I think that happens to every team at some point. Unfortunately it has happened to us at the start of the season and our confidence has dropped off.

"I don't think it is a case of Dean trying to change too much I just think as individuals we have not performing anywhere near our potential. We have had a couple of injury problems - Paul Bell had to go home and Iestyn (Harris) has been missing for a while and Barrie McDermott and Adrian Morley have been suspended.

"No less a judge than Graham Murray said he had the best back (Iestyn) and best forward (Adrian) in Super League over the last two years and they have both been missing from the team and I challenge any team to not be affected by absences like that."

But Powell knows that a return to their best form of last season is essential if the Rhinos are to come close to upsetting the favourites.

"I have been very impressed with them but no more than last season when they were playing outstandingly well.

"We played them four times last season and the only time I thought they should have won was the game at Odsal after the Challenge Cup semi-final.

"If you look at the other three games we were comfortably the better team so we know we can match them and deep down they know that too.

"I know it is going to be a tough game but we certainly have the players to compete and we won't have a problem because no-one needs to get themselves up for games like this.

"Everyone says we are not going to make top five and we will be beaten in the cup final. But that doesn't matter in any way to us. We have a job to do and that is all we are looking at.

"The more we are written off the more we are prepared to listen to it."

Many fans watching his injury ravaged spell at Cougar Park must be more than a little surprised to see him still doing his bit at the top level nearly three years later.

"I've still got the enthusiasm and still enjoy playing. My legs are OK and I've never been the quickest player anyway but I try to make up for it in any ways.

"I think it will be a great buzz running out at Murrayfield. It's a tighter ground so the atmosphere will be better than Wembley if anything. But at the end of the day finals are for winners and we are certainly not going there to make up the numbers. We are going there confident that we can compete very strongly."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.