CASTLEFORD TIGERS interim head coach Chris Chester urged his men to “ice moments” better after losing at Hull KR – but reckons he saw the “future of the club” too.
Cas were in the game at 16-6 down half-time, then Louis Senior lost control of the ball when on the brink of cutting that deficit further early in the second half.
Former KR head coach Chester said: “We had the opportunity with Louis Senior and it’s happened a couple of times this year already. We’ve dropped the ball over the line against Huddersfield when the score was tight. We’ve got to kind of ice those moments.
“And that’s the difference at the moment probably between the top four or five sides and the rest.”
Chester though was proud with how the players dealt with adversity after having to adjust to the late loss of injured Fletcher Rooney, who suffered an expected season-ending hamstring blow.
Fellow teenager Jenson Windley was planned to be in the halves but switched to fullback and impressed.
Discussing Windley, Chester revealed: “I said to him ‘how comfortable are you playing fullback? He said ‘I’ve not really played there before but I’ll give it a go.’
“And they’re the kind of kids we want here. I thought he was great. He is the future of our club.
“I’m positive about what the future looks like at Cas Tigers. It’s been a tough day – we’ve played against the best team in the comp at the moment – and we played St Helens last game. We know what we need to do, to strengthen this club, and to make it’s a top-six side.”
Chester thought squad depth was key to this outcome, saying: “I thought the bench was the difference here. That’s something I need to have a look at.”