Lowly Castleford dent Warrington’s play-off hopes

Betfred Super League

Castleford (12) 20

Tries: Asi, Lawler, Simm Goals: Atkin 4

Warrington (10) 14

Warrington’s Super League play-off ambitions suffered a big blow as they were beaten by struggling Castleford at a rain-lashed Mend-A-Hose Jungle.

Sam Stone’s score put Wire ahead early on, but the hosts hit back to lead 12-6 as Daejarn Asi crossed and George Lawler pounced on a handling mistake to ground.

Jake Thewlis’ try brought Warrington within two points at half-time, but Cas survived mounting pressure and went further ahead through Chris Atkin’s penalty and Josh Simm’s try.

Stefan Ratchford touched town to cut the lead to 20-14 after Alex Mellor’s sin-binning, but third-bottom Castleford held out to give interim head coach Chris Chester his first win.

Following four successive defeats, including back-to-back reverses to the league’s bottom two sides, and without a head coach since Danny McGuire’s dismissal, the omens did not look good when Castleford fell behind within six minutes.

Marc Sneyd’s up and under slipped through Fletcher Rooney’s grasp, and a few plays later Ben Currie sent Stone through for his first Warrington try.

But the home side hit back superbly and within 12 minutes were ahead thanks to some Wire charity.

Lacklustre defence allowed Asi to drag three tacklers over the line to level. And after blowing a two-on-one chance to retake the lead, the visitors trailed when a grubber kick slid past Lachlan Fitzgibbon, allowing Lawler to pounce.

After resisting mounting pressure, Castleford’s defence succumbed moments before the break when the ball was worked quickly out to the left, giving Thewlis space for a fine diving finish.

Cas almost squeezed in a third try before the hooter, but Australian centre Zac Cini’s surge was stopped right on the line.

Warrington restarted with urgency and Rooney only just prevented George Williams from collecting his own chip and chase before a Williams grubber kick to the corner narrowly evaded Thewlis.

Having soaked up the pressure, the home side landed a sucker-punch as Atkin booted them 14-10 ahead before Sneyd spilled the ball in the tackle on halfway and Cas broke away to score, with Simm finishing.

Warrington wanted more than a yellow card for Mellor when his high tackle stopped Thewlis from grounding a certain try

Yet they had hope again 90 seconds later when Ratchford nudged Innes Senior aside to ground Williams’ grubber kick.

Castleford Tigers interim head coach Chris Chester told BBC Radio Leeds:

“I’ve never questioned the players’ efforts. The effort has been really good on the whole, it’s just the belief and the confidence and winning breeds confidence, but on the flip side, when you keep losing you go into your shell a little bit more.

“I thought we were great today. The starting pack was really physical and in these conditions you have to kick the ball well and on the whole I think we did that.”

(On Alex Mellor’s high tackle): “I think a penalty try would have been harsh. I agree with the sin-binning, he’s caught him high.

“I thought we defended our line pretty well when we lost the captain and we just came through at the end.”

Warrington Wolves head coach Sam Burgess:

“It’s becoming very common, the poor decisions.

“I’m really struggling to understand that call, so I’ll ask for clarity (from referees’ chief Phil Bentham) again, and I’ll probably get an email saying, ‘yeah, we got it wrong, it should have been a penalty try, sorry Sam’.

“It’s past the point of frustration. All being said I have to get it on the record, we just weren’t good enough as well.

Castleford: Rooney, Simm, Cini, L Senior, I Senior, Asin, Atkin, Amone, Lawler, Singleton, Simbiken, Mellor, Westerman.

Interchanges: Wood, Griffin, Robb, Stimson.

Sin-bin: Mellor (67).

Warrington: Dufty, Josh Thewlis, Wrench, King, Jake Thewlis, Williams, Sneyd, Yates, Powell, Vaughan, Stone, Fitzgibbon, Currie.

Interchanges: Philbin, Crowther, Irwin, Ratchford.