IT’S fair to say that Ryan Carr was a happy man after Castleford Tigers overcome Bradford Bulls, 40-28.
The Tigers trailed 16-12 late on in the first half, before Carr’s men scored five tries in 12 minutes either side of the break to wrap up proceedings.
It was only Castleford’s second victory of the 2026 season and, after the game Carr said: “It was another night where we had adversity early on when we conceded a try and then lost Semi Valemei to a head knock.
“They didn’t let the setbacks get to us this week which is something we spoke about. I’m really proud, they have had a tough week.
“If we hadn’t had reviewed the game as harshly last week, we may not have responded in that way.
“Last week we lost two to head knocks in the first five minutes and it did go the other way.
“We didn’t sugarcoat things, that performance by some players out there was unbelievable.
“That’s what I knew we had, that’s why last week upset me so much.”
Carr also hailed Krystian Mapapalangi who sent Jason Qareqare away for a hat-trick.
“He’s a real talent, I’m happy to see him playing some good rugby,” said Carr.
“Jason is backing himself which pleases me, he is backing his speed now.
“I just want them to back themselves and have that self-confidence. They are all good players and I want them to understand that.”
The Castleford boss explained the decision to drop Mikaele Ravalawa, saying: “There were a couple of reasons. He is carrying a leg complaint that we need to get to the bottom of.
“He starts off alright but then it wears down on him towards the end of games.
“He was disappointed with his performance last week. I just felt that was the best combination at the time.
“I’ve still got full confidence in him, we just need to make sure he is fit.”