Castleford Tigers suffered defeat at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, primarily due to a challenging first half marked by numerous injuries, leaving them with only one substitute for a span of over 50 minutes.
The Ford’s initial opportunity arose merely three minutes into the contest. An expertly placed high bomb from Austin landed in Eden’s hands. Eden quickly executed a kick, which Thewlis managed to collect. Unfortunately, Thewlis’s subsequent pass went awry after Ratchford’s involvement, granting Castleford a scoring opportunity just 10 meters from the try line.
The Ford’s breakthrough came when Westerman found Hall sprinting at full tilt, and Hall extended his arm to ground the ball. Following a review by the video referee, Sam Hall secured his first try for Castleford, propelling the Fords into a 6-0 lead.
Warrington managed to level the score 15 minutes into the game. Walker initiated a break and offloaded to Williams, who was subsequently tackled just short of the try line by Tasipale. Walker swiftly played the ball and found Vaughan, who powered his way over the line from close range.
With 18 minutes remaining in the first half, Warrington seized the lead for the first time. The hosts received a six-again call, which propelled them up the field. Vaughan made an impressive carry and managed to free his arm, passing the ball to Dufty, who darted in under the goalposts.
Warrington extended their lead just three minutes later. Dufty executed a rapid break and looked to Williams on the inside. While Williams attempted to gather the ball, Tasipale dislodged it from his grasp. However, the ball’s bounce favored the hosts, as it rebounded to Dufty, who found Currie unmarked and allowed him to stroll in for a try.
Warrington threatened once more, resulting in another referral to the video referee. Williams reached out to ground the ball, but Westerman had different plans, as he tackled the arm of the England captain, forcing an error on the try line.
Castleford attempted to regain their footing in the contest after being awarded a string of penalties, including one for offside and a subsequent high tackle. Eden came close and almost forced a knock-on with a delicately placed kick from close range, but their efforts went unrewarded.
Castleford Tigers entered the halftime break trailing 18-6.
It was the Tigers who struck first after halftime! Miller forced a drop-out with an in-goal kick, and the Fords capitalized on the opportunity. Three tackles into the set, the ball was shifted left through Miller to Widdop, whose precise pass found Eden, allowing him to score in the corner. Widdop’s conversion from the touchline reduced the deficit to just six points, with half an hour left to play.
However, Jacob Miller was shown a yellow card for a tip tackle, and Warrington seized the opportunity. The hosts advanced into scoring range, and Dufty sidestepped his way to ground the ball under the posts, reestablishing their 12-point lead.
Moments later, they increased their advantage further. Clark, who had just come off the bench, made a break and had only Widdop to beat. Despite having other options, Clark went solo and outpaced Widdop to score.
Nicholson added to the hosts’ tally on the hour mark. The ball was shifted towards the right, and Kasiano’s offload provided Nicholson with the opportunity to cross the try line.
Less than a minute later, the situation worsened for Castleford. They attempted a short kick-off, but Crowther gathered the ball and made a break, advancing to the 20-meter line before finally being tackled. The ball moved towards the hosts’ left edge, where Ashton calmly strolled in for another score.
Williams contributed another try to Warrington’s scoreline after executing a break and sprinting past Widdop to secure the try.
Warrington breached the 50-point mark with another try, this time courtesy of Harrison. Williams delivered an inside pass to Dufty, creating a gap in the defence. A tackle attempt by Castleford allowed Dufty to offload to Harrison, who touched down.
Vaughan added another try to his name by catching a pass just short of the try line and powering over. Williams then capped off the scoring after Ashton initiated a break and he remained in support to receive an inside pass.
FULL TIME: Warrington Wolves 66-12 Castleford Tigers
