Challenge Cup final would be career highlight - Luke Dorn

Dorn has scored 14 tries in 15 Super League appearances this season

Castleford Tigers full-back Luke Dorn says reaching the final of the Challenge Cup would be the pinnacle of his long career.

The Tigers face Widnes Vikings for a place in the Wembley showpiece at Leigh Sports Village on Sunday.

Dorn, 32, returned to the Tigers for a second spell last September after five seasons with London Broncos.

"To reach Wembley would mean everything to me in terms of my career," he told BBC Radio Leeds.

"I've played with some great players in some great teams over the years but aside from a few years at Manly and my first season at London I haven't had a great deal to celebrate in terms of semi-final appearances.

"To have a crack at the final at this late stage of my career would mean a huge amount to myself and my family."

Castleford have beaten Widnes in both their league encounters this season, including a 34-22 win at the Jungle when both teams were reduced to 12 men

The Tigers, fourth in Super League, have been the British game's surprise package this season but Dorn said the squad were always confident on improving on last year's 12th-place finish.

"We genuinely believed that if we could keep everybody in shape we could be in a good position," he added.

"We never spoke about where we would finish in the league or what we wanted to achieve but the progression has been really good."

Widnes have not played in a Challenge Cup final since 1993, while Castleford's last appearance came a year earlier.

And with the chance to play at Wembley at stake, Widnes stand-off Kevin Brown said both sides would feel a degree of pressure.

"It's a semi-final so there's going to be nerves but nerves are good if you can contain them," said Brown, who played in Huddersfield's final defeat by Warrington in 2009.

"The history behind it is something for other people to speak about. For us, it's massive because it's a semi-final and the reward of going to Wembley is huge. It gives me goosebumps thinking about it."

Widnes lie eighth in Super League and are likely to be involved in the end-of-season play-offs, while Castleford have surpassed all pre-season expectations to sit fourth, two points behind leaders St Helens.

"They're probably the club of the year from where they've been, and they can probably still win the league," added Brown.

"They've been consistently good and coached very well. We're up against a good side and they're probably the favourites to win the game."