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 debut versus 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 cruising inside the opening thirty minutes, however Jacob Gagai pulled one back right before the break to make it 16-4.


Tom Weaver then grabbed 2 vital second-half tries, either side of George Flanagan's four-pointer, to put Tigers en route to sealing a first league win under head Carr.


The greatest event of the night was booked for Golding, as he crossed for a memorable first shot for his brand-new club against the side he left after five years at the end of last season.


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The early season form and bad luck of the West Yorkshire rivals had mirrored one another before their meeting at the OneBore Stadium. Both had been winless, meaningless and hit by injuries.


Captain Alex Mellor became the current Tiger to be sidelined after he broke his leg in last week's defeat at Toulouse, while Giants were without a host of injured regulars themselves, consisting of Liam Sutcliff, Joe Greenwood and Harry Rushton due to the fact that of lengthy lay-offs.


France international Tanguy Zenon started for injury-hit Huddersfield simply two days after joining the club, while there were Tigers debuts for Wigan loanee George Hirst and former Giants pair Jack Ashworth and Golding.


Hood gave the hosts the ideal start, darting from dummy-half to grab his 2nd try of the season after Joe Stimson was lowered near the line.


Castleford got a been worthy of second through McIntosh, who rushed through a frazzled Giants defence that had actually been pinned back on their line after Taane Milne provided away a careless 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 finished the half stronger, with Zenon denied by a try-saving deal with from Mikaele Ravalawa before Gagai ultimately responded with a 38th-minute rating.


Huddersfield continued to threaten however were wasteful 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 offered Giants renewed hope when he hit back soon after, however a second from Weaver put the result beyond doubt before Golding crashed over to trigger wild celebrations.


'We bet this winning sensation' - response


Castleford Tigers head coach Ryan Carr informed BBC Radio Leeds:


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


"I'm actually happy for my group and actually delighted for everybody involved in our club due to the fact that a great deal 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 effort they have actually done because the first day of pre-season, is pleasurable.


"But it is one win, we need to keep ensuring we carry out regularly every week now."


"I thought we were rubbish, as plain and simple as that.


"We simply robbed ourselves of energy with the amont of dropped balls that we had in that very first half. The lads tried hard, but they were tired.


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


"Eventually it just robs you of energy and you are essentially playing on fumes.


"Look, they are running around, rushing and trying their hardest but ultimately it simply comes back to bite you. We just need to learn and require to find out fast."


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.