Harlequins RL captain Rob Purdham expects his side to return to the form they showed at the beginning of the season as they prepare to face Super League leaders Castleford Tigers this Friday.

Quins RL have shown they can challenge the top sides in Super League having beaten St Helens and Leeds away already this season in a blistering start to the season, and this week sees the league leaders, Castleford Tigers, visit The Stoop for a fascinating Friday night clash.

Quins captain Rob Purdham knows results in recent weeks have been disappointing, but he expects three home games at The Stoop this month will see a change in fortunes.

Purdham: "We were going well this year and the big task was keeping up what we had achieved after the first few rounds.

"The defence needs sorting out, but we've shown we can certainly score the points needed to win games."

The last two games away at Bradford and Wakefield are games that Purdham feels Quins should have won, especially with the number of points scored (Pryce's hattrick at Bradford and six different try scorers at Wakefield, including Purdham).

But, despite the side's inconsistencies, the fans, he feels, have been fantastic through this rollercoaster opening nine rounds.

Purdham said: "You see them home and away without fail, and they certainly make themselves heard away from home.

"Some of our performances have not been what they should, but they understand where we are at, and what we are capable of.

"We really appreciate their support and hope to give them something to cheer about at The Stoop, starting on Friday."