Wakefield win cat-fight

The Wildcats mauled the Tigers for a sixth straight game, winning 32-16 to deny Castleford back-to-back Super League wins for the first time in two years.

Castleford came into this derby clash with their confidence boosted by victory at Warrington two weeks ago in their last outing, but Wakefield once again proved their bogey team.

Castleford started the brighter and took the lead after just four minutes when Ryan McGoldrick stabbed a grubbber kick in-goal and Luke Dorn beat two defenders to touch down his 10th try of the campaign.

The returning Kirk Dixon added the extras but within three minutes the visitors were level, although the try had plenty of good fortune about it.

On the sixth tackle, former Cas star Danny Brough attempted to chip the ball in-goal, the ball ricoccheting off Awen Guttenbeil's boot straight into the scrum-half's arms for an easy score. Brough's boot then levelled at 6-6.

A pacey, neat finish from McGoldrick edged Castleford ahead again and they looked the stronger side only to be hit by another sucker punch on 20 minutes.

Intercept

It was just the second tackle when Dorn floated out a long pass deep inside his own half and Damien Blanch shot out of the line to intercept and trot in unopposed.

But Cas looked to have more in the tank, reflected by Wakefield's decision to give Brough a long-range kick at goal to take the steam out of the game, which he missed.

The Tigers should have scored late in the half as Wakefield survived three succesive penalties and two full sets in front of their own line.

Almost inevitably, the Wildcats went straight back up the field and scored on the stroke of half-time.

Good hands down the blindside from Oliver Wilkes and Tony Martin released winger Sean Gleeson and full-back Matt Blaymire was in support to take his inside pass and score, to set up an 18-10 half-time lead.

Martin should have increased Wakefield's lead just after the re-start but he knocked on in the act of touching down Danny Sculthorpe's beatifully-weighted kick.

Brough's 40-20 set up another Wakefield chance but again Castleford survived and after Richard Moore was caught offside in his own half, Dorn crashed over through a stretched defence on the final tackle for his second try.

Controversy

The score which re-established Wakefield's eight-point lead was laced with controversy.

Gleeson appeared to lose the ball under pressure from Wainwright in the act of scoring and Jamie Rooney touched down the loose ball almost as an afterthought.

But video referee Ashley Klein ruled it was not a knock-on but a ball-strip and Rooney's try stood, much to the outrage of the Jungle fans.

A Brough penalty for offside stretched the lead again and a late 80-metre Damien Blanch interception try just piled on the misery for the Tigers.