Wakefield head coach Brian Smith was disappointed by the way his side faded away in their 40-6 defeat to Castleford.
A Stuart Howarth try had given the Wildcats an early lead, but when a Ben Roberts score put Castleford ahead in the 24th minute, only one team looked like winning the contest.
It was the main negative for Smith in their comprehensive derby defeat.
“We started lively enough, with some good execution, and we defended well,” he said.
“But we fell way badly. Some of that was down to Castleford playing very well, and it didn’t help that we had to defend nine consecutive sets in the second half.
“Nor did something like seven consecutive penalties against us at one stage help our cause.
“The fact is that we couldn’t sustain our start. If it wasn’t the referee penalising us, it was ourselves failing to hold the ball on the last tackle three times, twice on their line.”
