This match always seemed like the kind of game Super League needed to get back on its feet after last weekend’s World Club Series. The 3-0 whitewash inflicted by the NRL sides is a wound that is not yet fully healed, but you can often rely on Hull and Castleford to provide entertainment and drama aplenty. Whoever picked this fixture as one to show on TV immediately after that series deserves a huge pat on the back.
The season is only three weeks old but these two sides look like the pair most capable of breaking the monopoly of the established sides at the top of Super League. There is something aesthetically pleasing about watching two teams attack with vigour, creativity and freedom; those who choose the televised games may well be opting for Castleford and Hull FC a fair bit more in the coming weeks.
The fact the game was not settled until the final play courtesy of Denny Solomona’s hat-trick try suggests that both these teams can expect to be right in the mix. Led by the outstanding Luke Gale, Castleford left the KC Stadium with their first win at Hull since 2011, and with their unbeaten start still intact. The Castleford coach, Daryl Powell, said this week that Hull’s start made them look seem title contenders in his eyes, but he refused to acknowledge that this win gives his side a similar appearance.
“It makes us potentially a very good side,” Powell admitted. “We can still improve in all sorts of ways, but in terms of confidence it’s a great victory. I think there’s a shed-load of improvement left in this team, but it shows the resilience of the group to win here – because they’ve started like a house on fire.”
Hull should still take plenty of positives from this most pulsating of encounters, not least the way they fought back from 18-6 down to level at 18-all at the interval. On any other night the story would have been Jy Hitchcox, the former Featherstone winger handed a debut 20 minutes from kick-off due to an injury to the Castleford winger, Joel Monaghan.
His two tries coupled with Solomona’s first – all of which came from fine handling from the Tigers – put them in control at 18-6, but to their credit Hull fought back.
After Jordan Thompson briefly reduced the gap at 12-0, further tries from Steve Michaels and the first of a superb double for the full-back Jamie Shaul – a player who hardly deserved to be on the losing side – made it 18-18 and set things up for an equally exciting second half.
The opening 15 minutes were much more subdued than the action-packed first 40 minutes, but the game came to life again when Castleford scored from a seemingly impossible position, something that is becoming one of their traits. Jake Webster managed to wriggle the ball free from his grasp to put Solomona in at the corner, with the wing providing a fine finish to put Castleford back in front.
Gale missed the conversion and that looked crucial when Shaul scored his second electrifying try of the evening, with Marc Sneyd converting to make it 24-22. However, a penalty from Gale set up a thrilling finale, with the scrum-half’s drop goal on 74 minutes nudging Castleford in front again before, with Hull pressing, a Solomona interception right on the hooter sealed his hat-trick and a win that lays down a real marker to the rest of Super League.
“I thought their back three killed us,” said the Hull coach, Lee Radford. “I’m bitterly disappointed with the result. I’ve no qualms with losing to a team like that given how we performed – we didn’t deserve the two points.”
Radford may have cut a dejected figure given the result, but any lingering doubts over the quality of Super League – which seems as entertaining and competitive as ever – must surely be put to bed after yet another top-drawer clash.
Wigan defeated Salford 20-16 in Thursday night’s other Super League and stay top of the table by a point from Castleford.
Hull FC Shaul; Michaels, Logan, Tuimavave, Talanoa; Pryce, Sneyd; Taylor, Houghton, Watts, Minichiello, Manu, Thompson. Interchange Ellis, Bowden, Pritchard, Washbrook.
Tries Thompson, Michaels, Shaul 2. Goals Sneyd 4.
Castleford Dorn; Hitchcox, Crooks, Webster, Solomona; Roberts, Gale; Lynch, McShane, Millington, Holmes, McMeeken, Jewitt. Interchange Milner, Massey, Cook, Moors.
Tries Hitchcox 2, Solomona 3. Goals Gale 5. Drop goal Gale.
Referee R Hicks. Attendance 12,247.
