Castleford 21-12 Warrington: Player ratings and three major talking points

Castleford enjoyed a stellar victory over Warrington, but what were the three major talking points and how did the players rate?

Three major talking points

1. Niall Evalds will be Castleford’s most important player in 2021

Much has been made of Niall Evalds’ move to Castleford in the off-season, but everyone was interested to know how he would actually get on in his first outing in Tigers colours. And, after a shaky start, he didn’t disappoint, linking superbly into the line on multiple occasions and getting over the line himself.

2. Will Warrington’s halfbacks ever click?

Blake Austin and Gareth Widdop are under a lot of pressure to perform after a quiet 2020, but they still appeared rusty throughout the 80 minutes. Individually, they showed some nice touches, yet gelling together seems to be a bit of a problem.

3. Paul McShane just keeps getting better

He won the Man of Steel in 2020 and earned the first man-of-the-match of the new season, but Paul McShane looked like he was in cruise mode for most of Castleford’s victory over Warrington. After the injury to Gareth O’Brien, McShane moved into the halves and took control of proceedings, slotting over a drop-goal to make certain of the win.

Castleford Tigers
1. Niall Evalds – 8
2. Derrell Olpherts – 7
3. Peter Mata’utia – 6
4. Michael Shenton – 7
25. Jordan Turner – 8
6. Jake Trueman – 8
31. Gareth O’Brien – 5
10. Grant Millington – 8
9. Paul McShane – 9
15. George Griffin – 6
11. Oliver Holmes – 8
12. Cheyse Blair – 6
14. Nathan Massey – 6
Substitutes
8. Liam Watts – 7
13. Adam Milner – 6
18. Jacques O’Neill – 5
22. Daniel Smith – 7

Warrington Wolves

1.Stefan Ratchford – 7
2. Tom Lineham – 6
27. Connor Wrench – 6
4. Toby King – 8
5. Josh Charnley – 5
6. Blake Austin – 6
7. Gareth Widdop – 6
8. Chris Hill – 6
16. Danny Walker – 6
10. Mike Cooper – 7
11. Ben Currie – 7
12. Jack Hughes – 6
13. Joe Philbin – 5
Substitutes
9. Daryl Clark – 9
14. Jason Clark – 7
17. Matty Ashton – 5
19. Rob Mulhern – 6