Daryl Powell believes his side deserve a lot of credit after climbing into the top four.
The Tigers leapfrogged Leeds into fourth after thrashing Catalans 41-0, their biggest win of the season so far.
Cas are now just four points behind league leaders St Helens with two games in hand, and Powell claimed his side warrant praise for their efforts so far this season.
“We’ve had to battle our way through,” he said.
“Even today, the conditions we’ve played in are very difficult.
“We’ve had to really work hard but we’re in a good position. Everyone wrote us off after that first game against St Helens and we’ve been tough to beat since then and lost one game in a swim fest.
“We’ve had to adapt and scrap for points and we’re starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. The signs are really positive for us at the moment.”
On his side’s performance against Catalans, Powell added: “We put a lot of focus on wanting to start second halves better but chilling out a bit and enjoying what we’re doing.
“Defensively we were outstanding and right from the off we had a mentality about us that was a bit different today. It’s a big deal for us.
“The fact that we’re building scores and showing more patience we have in the past. Both sides showed a lot of control today.”