CASTLEFORD TIGERS went down 10-8 to the Wigan Warriors at The Jungle tonight in controversial circumstances.
The Tigers were cut down to 12 men just after the half-time break after Cain Robb was sinbinned for a hard tackle on Abbas Miski, but still Wigan weren’t able to find their groove.
For Castleford head coach Craig Lingard, he was proud of the performance, saying: “I’m just disappointed that we didn’t win, but I am proud of their efforts.
“One thing we have talked about this week is trying to be a team that doesn’t go away which we’ve not been this season.
“Too many times we’ve been a team that’s cracked first and for the second part of the season we are trying to not go away and being desperate to save tries and just do what’s necessary.
“I can’t help but think it’s an opportunity missed to get two points.”
The Tigers players were seen huddling at the end of the game as a team and Lingard revealed the players’ disappointment.
“The players expressed their disappointment and frustration at not getting over the line but we talked about minimum standards that we can control which is the bare minimum of effort, commitment and intensity.
“That’s not a skillset, that’s a you thing and you can decide if you are going to do those things. There were a lot of good words said but unless you do something about the words it’s pointless.”
Lingard also touched upon the incident which Robb saw yellow.
“It’s one of them, I’m not sure. I don’t want to sound like Arsene Wenger, the big screen is not the best of pictures but it looked like initial contact on the shoulder and not on the head.
“Whether that’s scraped up onto the head, I don’t know so I don’t want to say something and be completely wrong.”
The Castleford boss also praised Sylvester Namo and Matty English for their performances.
“With Sylvester, he’s still getting the minutes in his legs and he still needs to be more impactful for longer so we need to make sure his minutes increase and he will only do that by playing.
“When he first started playing his game minutes were quite low but he’s getting better and better.
“We have to keep riding him at times, his body language when he gets towards the end of his spell needs to be better as the opposition will target that.
“Matty English did what he always does, he bases his game on efforts and enthusiasm and did the one percenters that his teammates love.”
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