CASTLEFORD TIGERS went down 32-8 to Wakefield Trinity in Luke Gale’s testimonial at the DIY Kitchens Stadium tonight.
The Tigers were second best throughout, going down 20-4 at half-time with only Innes Senior and Josh Simm tries saving Castleford’s blushes.
New head coach Danny McGuire was disappointed to say the least following the game: “I thought Wakey played well, they were good and they were physical. They played some really nice stuff and challenged us,” McGuire said.
“I don’t think we were quite at it which is a bit disappointing. I probably expected a bit more from us if I’m being honest in our first hit out.
“It’s hard to be too critical but we didn’t do ourselves justice. I know it’s a friendly and there wasn’t a lot riding on the outcome but there were some things we wanted to get out of the game that we didn’t quite get.
“It’s good for us, we’ve had a smack on the nose and that tells me there is plenty of hard work and things need to tidy up before it gets real. There’s a bit of frustration.
“There is a sense of we know where we are at and we can be better.”
McGuire did take some positives from the defeat, saying: “We did some ok things, our attitude to defence was good but the technical aspect on the edge was poor.
“We looked alright in attack when we did get there but there are loads of things to work on.”
McGuire also gave his verdict on some of the new signings.
“I thought they all had some glimpses. Judah Rimbu looked sharp and he a short spell there. Daejarn Asi’s kicking wasn’t as good as we would have liked but he is finding his feet and combinations.
“We will treat the game against Hull as a real fixture with maybe 18 or 19 players but we need to be better and look more like what we want to expect.
“We want to do Westy (Joe Westerman) justice as he’s been a great servant.”
