With Huddersfield’s race for the top four ending last weekend, it was the Castleford Tigers who came into tonights match at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle with the motivation to perform. A win would put them within a point of second spot and keep their hopes of a home play-off alive. But a loss could see them drop to fourth at the end of the weekend.
Giants were victorious in the last meeting between the two sides a couple of months ago, having been beaten on their own ground earlier in the season but the bookies saw only a Tigers win as they looked to keep the pressure on the top two.
With just eighty seconds on the clock the Giants got off to a great start when Adam O’Brien crashed over the line to score. The decision was sent to the video referee as a try and despite it looking like there was no clear evidence that the ball was grounded the decision was given in Huddersfield’s favour. Danny Brough kicked the extras for a 6-0 lead.
Greg Eden answered on four minutes, flying down the left wing to ground off a Paul McShane pass. McShane pulled the conversion attempt wide of the left upright.
The Giants extended their lead on eighteen after Lee Gaskell busted between two tacklers, outpaced the cover tackler, and rounded the Tigers defence to score under the sticks. Brough kicked the conversion for a 12-4 lead.
In the tit-for-tat scoring it was Jake Webster who crossed next for the Tigers when Mike McMeeken did brilliantly to attract four tacklers and offload to the centre partner to go in. This time McShane added the extras to reduce the arrears to two points.
On thirty-three Junior Moors had the ball stolen in the act of scoring. Two plays out from the penalty Moors crashed onto a pass from McShane to score by the uprights. McShane kicked the conversion to edge his side into a 16-12 lead which they maintained until the interval.
It took seventeen minutes of the second half for the Tigers to extend their lead when James Clare was on hand to take a miss-out pass and step pest two defenders to score on the line. McShane added the extras from wide for a ten point lead.
He game was won on sixty-six when Mike McMeeken spun out of the tackle to score from close in giving McShane a simple conversion for 28-12.
Junior Moors got his second on seventy as the Giants defence tired when he was on his hand to take a short pass from Greg Millington to dive over by the uprights. McShane kicked the extras and made the win look comfortable.
It turned into a procession on seventy four as Peter Mata’utia found space in the Huddersfield line to confuse the defenders and ground one handed in the corner. McShane converted brilliantly from the touchline for 40-12.
Grant Millington completed the home scoring in a dominant second half when he dived on a pinpoint grubber kick to score. Jake Webster took the conversion but was unable to add the extras for a final score of 44-12.
After a testing first half during which the Giants came very close to matching the Tigers on the scoreboard if not the possession statistics, the second half was all one-way as the home side dominated and put themselves in with a chance to get closer to the Wigan Warriors should they slip up against the Warrington Wolves tomorrow evening.
Tigers: Mata’utia (T), Clare (T), Webster (T), Shenton, Eden (T), Roberts, Trueman, Watts, McShane (6G), Millington (T), Moors (2T), McMeeken (T), Massey. Subs: Minikin, Milner, Sene-Lefao, Clark.
Giants: Rankin, Mamo, Turner, Wardle, Senior, Gaskell, Brough (2G), Lawrence, O’Brien (T), Matagi, Ta’ai, Roberts, Hinchcliffe.Subs: Leeming, Clough, Smith, English.
Referee: Ben Thaler.
Half-Time: 16-12.
Full-Time: 44-12.
Attendance: .
