Castleford coach Terry Matterson has admitted that the arrival of Dwain Chambers has had a positive impact on the club.
Arrival of sprinter has positive impact on the Tigers
Castleford coach Terry Matterson has admitted that the arrival of sprinter Dwain Chambers has had a positive impact on the club.
Chambers, who has never played the sport before, was in the crowd as the Tigers completed a stunning 30-24 engage Super League victory over St Helens.
The 30-year-old Londoner arrived at the Jungle for his one-month trial in a blaze of publicity - and although he has only had a limited time at the bottom club, Matterson insists he has been good to have at the club.
Matterson added: "There was a whole heap of media this week (surrounding Chambers) and I just felt the players dropped their shoulders a little bit and had a little bit of fun with Dwain coming in.
"He's been good around the place and I probably can't give him any kudos for that performance, but just having him around the place this week has been good.
"It was good for us to be in the spotlight for once but I'm not sure when Dwain will be ready to play.
Cracking
"He needs another week of training but he can handle the media - he looks pretty good at that."
Castleford outscored Saints six tries to four, and Chambers was impressed with what he saw.
"It was a cracking game, there was a good vibe and it was a great way to experience my first game of live rugby," he said.
"We got a win and I can't ask for any more than that. The atmosphere was great, despite the weather, and the guys stood their ground and fought hard.
"My mentality is to win but before I can even consider playing the game I have to get myself up to match fitness.
"I have all the ability but I need to prove that I can last 80 minutes. I'm still in my early stages but I'll be ready."
While Matterson and Chambers could enjoy the victory, Saint boss Daniel Anderson was fuming as his side slumped to their four reverse in five games.
Anderson said: "We've played 40 minutes today and that was about it.
"We need to wake up and realise that there are too many good teams and when they have momentum they are very dangerous.
"Castleford and Wakefield are dangerous and we did not respect that. They performed, we didn't and that's the bottom line."
