CASTLEFORD TIGERS 6 LEIGH LEOPARDS 20
CALLUM WALKER, Mend-A-Hose Jungle, Saturday
IT’S difficult to see where Castleford go from here as a Leigh side led by the likes of Lachlan Lam, Tesi Niu and Robbie Mulhern barely got out of first gear to inflict a sixth defeat in seven games on the Tigers.
Danny McGuire’s side were void of ideas, physicality and spark whilst Adrian Lam’s men were able to do enough without being their usual devastating selves.
Lee Kershaw returned on loan for the Tigers with Innes Senior banned, whilst Liam Horne and Dan Okoro also returned.
Umyla Hanley and Ethan O’Neill dropped out for Leigh as Darnell McIntosh and Aaron Pene made welcome returns.
The Tigers couldn’t have started much worse if they had tried, with Daejarn Asi’s kick-off going straight out on the full. They survived that error but couldn’t hold out when Edwin Ipape powered over after Mulhern split the hosts’ defence with ease. Gareth O’Brien converted for a 6-0 lead.
Castleford were just compounding their own issues and George Lawler was sin-binned for a dangerous throw as O’Brien sent over the resulting penalty.
Shellshocked, the Tigers lost their captain’s challenge with a ridiculous objection to a clear ball strip, but it was Leigh that perhaps should have been down to twelve with Ipape driving Muizz Mustapha into the ground moments later.
Ipape survived and so did Leigh when Sam Wood’s pass to Kershaw was adjudged forward by referee Chris Kendall. It was the correct decision, but the home side’s frustrations were reverberating around the Jungle by this point.
A period of parity ensued but another Tigers error – this time from Josh Simm – paved the way for a second Leopards score, O’Brien’s brilliant pass finding McIntosh who flew in at the corner acrobatically. O’Brien couldn’t convert, but the visitors still led 12-0 at half-time.
That ascendancy continued immediately following the resumption, and in Leigh’s first set, Lam dummied and sent over Bailey Hodgson against his former club. O’Brien was wayward with the extras, but the Tigers were now 16-0 behind.
The writing was firmly on the wall as the Leopards proved far too quick and strong for the disappointing Tigers, with Lam setting up McIntosh for his second on 50 minutes.
McIntosh took over the kicking duties but he couldn’t tag on the extras either – not that it mattered in the long run as Castleford probably wouldn’t have won if they had been playing until next weekend.
That was never more evident than in the final quarter – half of which was spent a man light with Sylvester Namo in the sin bin – when Simm should have scored in the corner, only to be held up by a desperate effort from Niu and Louis Brogan.
The scoreline could also have been worse for the hosts when Leigh broke down their right edge, but McIntosh’s inside pass to David Armstrong was deemed forward.
Kershaw went close before Asi finally delivered a kick that hit the intended target and Zac Cini leapt like a salmon to ensure the Tigers wouldn’t be nilled. Rowan Milnes converted to round off the scoring.
GAMESTAR: Lachlan Lam was just too classy for Castleford.
GAMEBREAKER: Bailey Hodgson’s try immediately after half-time took any sting out of a potential Castleford comeback.
HIGHLIGHT REEL: Robbie Mulhern sprinting through the Castleford line like a winger to set up the first try was pretty special.
ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Lachlan Lam (Leigh)
2 pts Tesi Niu (Leigh)
1 pts Robbie Mulhern (Leigh)
MATCHFACTS
TIGERS
1 Tex Hoy
24 Josh Simm
3 Zac Cini
4 Sam Wood
37 Lee Kershaw
6 Daejarn Asi
7 Rowan Milnes
20 Muizz Mustapha
9 Liam Horne
10 George Lawler
11 Jeremiah Simbiken
12 Alex Mellor
13 Joe Westerman
Subs (all used)
15 George Griffin
16 Cain Robb
21 Sylvester Namo
35 Dan Okoro
18th man (not used)
27 Jenson Windley
Also in 21-man squad
2 Jason Qareqare
14 Judah Rimbu
18 Josh Hodson
Tries: Cini (74)
Goals: Milnes 1/1
Sin bin: Lawler (10) – dangerous throw, Namo (65) – head contact
LEOPARDS
1 David Armstrong
2 Darnell McIntosh
3 Tesi Niu
18 Keanan Brand
24 Bailey Hodgson
6 Gareth O’Brien
7 Lachlan Lam
8 Owen Trout
9 Edwin Ipape
10 Robbie Mulhern
11 Frankie Halton
12 Jack Hughes
13 Isaac Liu
Subs (all used)
14 Aaron Pene
15 Alec Tuitavake
16 Matt Davis
19 Louis Brogan
18th man (not used)
22 Ben McNamara
Also in 21-man squad
5 Josh Charnley
17 Brad Dwyer
21 Andy Badrock
Tries: Ipape (4), McIntosh (37, 50), Hodgson (42)
Goals: O’Brien 2/4, McIntosh 0/1
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 0-8, 0-12; 0-16, 0-20, 6-20
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Tigers: Alex Mellor; Leopards: Lachlan Lam
Penalty count: 5-4
Half-time: 0-12
Referee: Chris Kendall
Attendance: 5,807
