Eventually there has to be a point where Castleford stop being classed as Super League underdogs and become regarded as title contenders.
Their fourth-placed finish and appearance in the Challenge Cup final last year was seen by many as a flash in the pan but yet again Daryl Powell is masterminding something very special. For two weeks in a row Castleford have beaten the team at the top and they are now fourth, only four points adrift of St Helens.
The hero for Castleford was the full-back Ben Roberts but, given the tight nature of this game, he could just as easily have been the villain. With the game all square at 24-24, Roberts spilled the ball in his own half with 90 seconds remaining. However, Saints themselves dropped the ball and Castleford charged up the other end to allow Roberts the chance to win the game with a drop-goal on the hooter.
In edging out the defending champions Castleford not only narrowed the gap to top spot but also ended a hoodoo the Saints held over them. The last time they beat St Helens the disgraced sprinter Dwain Chambers was halfway through his infamous trial with the club in 2008. On 14 occasions since then Castleford have failed to beat St Helens and the fact they did so on Thursday suggests they are on track to challenge the status quo in 2015.
“It was an incredible finish,” said Powell, a man who is probably on the way to earning freedom of the town at this rate. “We’re pleased to be on the right end of the result; belief is growing all the time and we’ve gone to another level defensively.”
For St Helens their first defeat in five games plus serious-looking injuries to Adam Swift and Shannon McDonnell mean they will have to regroup quickly before a Challenge Cup quarter-final at home to Widnes on 28 June. “We got what we deserved,” said their coach, Keiron Cunningham. “We did our best to lose that game from minute one.”
After Castleford broke the deadlock through the returning Justin Carney, St Helens fought back with tries from Luke Walsh and Alex Walmsley. Cas showed why they are one of Super League’s great entertainers when Denny Solomona scored a breathtaking solo try, before the visitors retook the lead when Joe Greenwood crossed.
Leading 18-10 at the interval, St Helens were then put under siege and that pressure led to the home side taking the lead again when Jake Webster and Matt Cook crossed. Mark Percival converted Shannon McDonnell’s try to put Saints two points in front and set the scene for the grandtsand finish.
Percival was sent to the sin-bin for holding down, leaving the visitors a man light for the final eight minutes. Castleford levelled with a penalty from Luke Gale before both teams missed a desperate attempt to win the game with a drop-goal. Roberts however, would not fail.
Castleford Roberts; Solomona, Webster, Shenton, Carney; Finn, Gale; Lynch, Moore, Millington, Holmes, McMeeken, Massey.
Interchange Milner, Cook, Moors, Bailey.
Tries Carney, Solomona, Webster, Cook. Goals Gale 4. Drop-goal Roberts.
St Helens McDonnell; Swift, Turner, Percival, Dawson; Burns, Walsh; Amor, Roby, Walmsley, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Wilkin, Jones.
Interchange Masoe, Richards, Flanagan, Greenwood.
Tries Walsh, Walmsley, Greenwood, McDonnell. Goals Percival 4.
Referee R Silverwood. Attendance 6,086
