Such is the brutality of professional sport that fairytale endings do not always come true. The magnitude of another post-Wembley hangover from Leeds Rhinos means they are now not only nowhere near guaranteed top spot but are embroiled in a battle for a home semi-final in the play-offs.
A remarkable sequence of results was required at one point earlier in the year, those hazy days pre-Wembley when Leeds were sweeping all before them, to deny them a semi-final at Headingley. But after a third straight defeat following the Challenge Cup final, Leeds’ departing trio of heroes could now have already experienced their Headingley swansong after this bruising defeat by Castleford.
Jamie Peacock and Kylie Leuluai will fight tooth and nail to ensure that is not the case but, worryingly, the iconic captain, and all-time leading points scorer Kevin Sinfield, limped out of what could be his final ever playing appearance at the stadium with a leg injury – and it was his presence Leeds sorely lacked in the final quarter as they failed to overturn Castleford, who are making a real habit of winning at Headingley.
Twice this year Cas, who have no top-four hopes to play for, have won at Leeds and, as has so often been the case in 2015, their performance was driven by the half-back Leeds let go as a youngster, Luke Gale. Should the England coach, Steve McNamara, opt to go for in-form players for the upcoming series against New Zealand, Gale’s name is likely to be, as the Castleford coach, Daryl Powell, says, “right in the mix”. “I think he’s good enough, his ability to take on the line, and his all-round game is superb,” he said.
“He’s growing all the time, he’s been central to a lot of things we’ve done this year and I think he should rightly have every chance if Steve’s selecting on form.”
Gale had a hand in both tries, which put the Tigers into a 12-0 lead; after scoring the first when he collected Grant Millington’s pass to dive over, his pass created the space for Denny Solomona to cross on the left. Leeds responded well, though, and after Ryan Hall grounded Sinfield’s superb towering kick, further tries from Joel Moon and a second from Hall put them in control of the game.
Castleford were awarded a somewhat controversial try close to half-time when Luke Dorn crossed amid a potential obstruction call but there was no drama about the tries that gave them a firm foothold in the game after the restart. Gale grabbed his second after a superb break from Matt Cook, before the scrum-half fired a remarkable pass to his half-back partner Ben Roberts to extend their lead.
Sinfield had departed by that point and, although Adam Cuthbertson’s try offered brief hope, Leeds lacked any sort of structure without their captain, and Roberts made sure of the win with a drop goal seven minutes from time.
“Am I concerned? No,” said Leeds’ coach, Brian McDermott, afterwards. “I trust we’ll come good when we need to. We’re in a hole but I’d rather be with this group in a situation like this than any other.”
Leeds Hardaker; Briscoe, Watkins, Moon, Hall; Sinfield, McGuire; Cuthbertson, Lilley, Peacock, Ablett, Ward, Delaney. Interchange Singleton, Garbutt, Walters, Leuluai.
Tries Hall 2, Moon, Cuthbertson Goals Sinfield 2, Lilley
Castleford Dorn; Gibson, McMeeken, Shenton, Solomona; Roberts, Gale; Lynch, Milner, Millington, Holmes, Moors, Wheeldon. Interchange Cook, Boyle, Maher, McShane.
Tries Gale 2, Solomona, Dorn, Roberts Goals Gale 4 Drop goal Roberts
Referee J Child Attendance 15,069
