The initial ten minutes belonged to the Tigers. They approached closely when Jacob Miller launched a high kick, and Dodd couldn’t secure it. This was followed by another set after Westerman attempted a kick, resulting in the ball being fumbled. Cas attempted to move left through Tate but failed to break through.
However, the Saints broke the deadlock just over 10 minutes into the game. The ball was passed wide to Makinson, creating a two-on-one situation with Percival in support. The Saints winger then found Percival on the inside, who scored the first point of the match.
The Saints secured another point 8 minutes later. Batchelor seemed poised to move down the right but instead passed wide to Makinson, who dove in for the try, which was duly awarded.
They achieved a third try with 16 minutes remaining in the first half. Saints shifted left through Dodd and Lomax, and then found Bennison who exploited a gap in the defence, executing the pass that allowed him to score toward the goalposts.
Just two minutes later, the Saints secured another try. A break by Welsby led to a two-on-one scenario, enabling Batchelor to easily score under the goalposts. The Saints were in the lead with 24 points.
Makinson secured another point in the 36th minute. A long wide pass from Welsby provided Makinson the opportunity to catch the ball and stroll in uncontested.
The Fords faced an uphill battle as they entered the break.
Only 5 minutes after the break, the Saints earned another point. Lomax was quick to seize a loose ball after Makinson attempted an inside pass that ended up on the ground, falling over the line to score.
The visitors believed they had earned another point by the 55th minute. The ball went loose from Westerman, and Dodd kicked it for Saints, managing to touch down his own kick. However, the referee brought the play back for a Cas scrum.
With 20 minutes played in the second half, the Fords managed to secure their first points of the match. Cas broke through Hall, who was tackled high, resulting in a penalty. A repeat set allowed the Fords to apply pressure. Quick passing sent the ball left, and a remarkable tip from Foster to Turner led to Cas’s number 3 diving in at the corner.
Sam Royle received a yellow card for a professional foul when Hall came close to scoring, causing the Saints to play the last 10 minutes with just 12 players. Cas aimed to take advantage of the numerical superiority as Westerman passed wide to Wallis to score in the corner. However, the referee deemed the pass forward, and the play was called back.
Final Score: Castleford Tigers 4-34 St Helens.
