Castleford Tigers head coach Danny McGuire has spoke on his pride at the club’s performance despite their defeat to Hull KR with last year’s Super League grand Finalists taken to golden point by a resilient Castleford side.
Despite scoring one less try than Hull KR, Castleford finished the 80 minutes all square at 18-18 before seeing a Mikey Lewis drop goal break their hearts in golden point but the performance was one that will have inspired plenty of hope in Tigers fans.
After their Challenge Cup performance that elicited a public apology from captain Sam Wood, Castleford were seen as huge underdogs at Craven Park but they held their own and were arguably the better side – certainly in the first 40 minutes.
The pressure got to them in the second half, but only after 25 minutes of very solid defence with the Tigers putting in a performance that has turned heads. Head coach Danny McGuire spoke on Sky Sports after the game to share his pride in his club despite the cruel defeat.
“I told them I was proud of them, I really did,” he explained when asked what his full-time dressing room speech comprised of.
“There’s been a bit going on this week and we were a little bit disappointed with what we turned out last weekend so I just asked for a response. I asked for them to play with passion, commitment and pride and I thought they did that.”
Castleford Tigers’ coach Danny McGuire proud of effort against Hull KR as doubters addressed
Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
McGuire was returning to Craven Park for the first time as a head coach and his side were able to neutralise much of the Robins’ threat, something that he was clearly very happy about but he heeded it with the warning that consistency must also come.
He said: “Hull KR are a great team and they had a full-strength team out there and we’ve gone toe to toe with them for 85 minutes and held our own.
“We looked a good team at times so I’m really proud but we need to do it next week and the week after and then the week after and then the week after and that’s where we need to get to.
“We’re not quite there at the minute. There are some things that we need to keep working on but I couldn’t be prouder. I was really proud with that performance.”
Asked about those who had doubted his side and expected them to be on the wrong end of a heavy defeat, McGuire admitted that he understood why but was impressed with the response he got from his players.
On the doubters, he said: “I get it, I understand the sport and have been in it a long time. There are going to be some good days and not-so-good days. We’ve not got the result tonight but I think we were strong in lots of areas and we’ll get lots of confidence from that.
“People write you off and challenge you, everyone is aware of what was said after last week and I’m really pleased for the players that they could step up.
“We’re going to get better, I promise you that and we’ll be ready for next week against St Helens.”
His pre-match comments stated that he would ‘learn’ about his team within the 80 minutes. Asked for his post-game assessment, he said: “I learnt that they’re tough and they care. They care about the badge and for each other. This game is about respecting your mate at the side of you and working hard for him and making his job easier and I thought they did that tonight.
“If we do that every week, we’ll give ourselves a chance.”
MAGIC MIKEY LEWIS WINS IT FOR HULL KR 🔥
Heartbreak for Castleford who gave it everything 👏 pic.twitter.com/7wC22E4L1y
— Sky Sports Rugby League (@SkySportsRL) February 14, 2025
