Castleford Beat Giants For Very First Super League Win

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Castleford Tigers (16) 34


Tries: Hood, McIntosh, Lawler, Weaver 2, Golding Goals: Weaver 5


Huddersfield Giants (4) 8


Tries: Gagai, Flanagan


Ashton Golding scored on his Castleford launching against previous club Huddersfield Giants to finish Tigers' very first Super League win of the season.


Tries from Liam Hood, Darnell McIntosh and George Lawler had Tigers travelling inside the opening 30 minutes, but Jacob Gagai pulled one back right before the break to make it 16-4.


Tom Weaver then got two vital second-half tries, either side of George Flanagan's four-pointer, to put Tigers en route to sealing a very first league win under head coach Ryan Carr.


The most significant event of the night was booked for Golding, as he crossed for a remarkable very first shot for his brand-new club against the side he left after 5 years at the end of last season.


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The early season form and misfortune of the West Yorkshire rivals had mirrored one another before their conference at the OneBore Stadium. Both had actually been winless, pointless and hit by injuries.


Captain Alex Mellor became the most current Tiger to be sidelined after he broke his leg in recently's defeat at Toulouse, while Giants lacked a host of hurt regulars themselves, including Liam Sutcliff, Joe Greenwood and Harry Rushton because of lengthy lay-offs.


France international Tanguy Zenon began for just 2 days after signing up with the club, while there were Tigers debuts for Wigan loanee George Hirst and former Giants set Jack Ashworth and Golding.


Hood gave the hosts the ideal start, darting from dummy-half to grab his second try of the season after Joe Stimson was reduced close to the line.


Castleford got a should have second through McIntosh, who rushed through a frazzled Giants defence that had actually been pinned back on their line after Taane Milne handed out a negligent charge for his high hit on Krystian Mapapalangi.


Milne was in the sin-bin when Lawler crashed over under the posts for Castleford's third shot in the 26th minute, however after that it was Huddersfield who ended up the half more powerful, with Zenon denied by a try-saving deal with from Mikaele Ravalawa before Gagai eventually responded with a 38th-minute score.


Huddersfield continued to threaten but were inefficient looking for a method back into the game before Weaver got on completion of a remarkably weighted grubber kick from Daejarn Asi to edge Castleford 18 points ahead.


Flanagan provided Giants renewed hope when he hit back quickly after, but a second from Weaver put the outcome beyond doubt before Golding crashed over to spark wild events.


'We play for this winning feeling' - response


Castleford Tigers head coach Ryan Carr told BBC Radio Leeds:


"That's what we bet, we play to win and play for this sensation right now.


"I'm actually pleased for my group and actually happy for everyone associated with our club since a lot of work has actually entered into getting to this point. And there will continue to be a lot more work.


"But to be able to see them with a smile on their faces, with all the tough work they have actually done because the first day of pre-season, is satisfying.


"But it is one win, we need to keep making sure we perform regularly weekly now."


"I believed we were rubbish, as plain and easy as that.


"We just robbed ourselves of energy with the amont of dropped balls that we had in that very first half. The lads strove, however they were exhausted.


"I think they finished 100% [of their sets] in the 2nd half, and we finished around 60-odd. If you just give the opposition the ball over and over again, you are going to get the same outcome.


"Eventually it simply robs you of energy and you are basically playing on fumes.


"Look, they are running around, scrambling and attempting their hardest however ultimately it just comes back to bite you. We just require to discover and require to learn quick."


Castleford Tigers: Cini, Ravalawa, Mapapalangi, McIntosh, Qaraqare, Asi, Weaver, Atoni, Hood, Westerman, Lane, Hirst, Stimson.


Replacements: Lawler, Ashworth, Hall, Golding.


Huddersfield Giants: Patolo, Woolford, Rogers, O'Donnell, Billington, Powell, Russell, Lolohea, Halsall, Milne, Gagai, Zenon, Flanagan.


Replacements: Burgess, King, Rush, English.


Referee: Matty Lynn.