Castleford Tigers assistant coach Luke Robinson has pulled no punches in his assessment of his side’s defeat to Bradford Bulls, claiming his side are ‘anxious’ and can collapse on account of their lack of confidence.
The Tigers lost 32-22 in the end but they found themselves 26-4 down at the break after yet another period in which they shipped multiple tries in quick succession, something that has been a trend throughout the year.
Bradford took the lead after six minutes and they’d soon double it as Castleford started to show their weaknesses, something that Robinson made note of when speaking post-match on Sky Sports.
“Very early on,” Robinson responded when asked about the damage being done early on, something he admitted that the club can’t currently recover from.
“If I’m honest, we’re a side that if we don’t start well, if we don’t get that platform, then obviously confidence has been shot. Obviously I’m new to the group, but what I feel is I can feel an anxiousness about them.
“I can feel like when things don’t go their way straight away and we’re out on the back foot, it just feels like a real sort of anxiousness.
“We just don’t seem to be able to build a game at the moment or understand how you build a game and actually just build some pressure.”
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Low on confidence Castleford Tigers routed again
Robinson highlighted one specific penalty that derailed the club after a bright start, suggesting that it led to an onslaught from Bradford that was compounded by Castleford errors, all of which ultimately cost the Tigers the game.
He said: “We actually started the game all right, I thought set for set, and then all of a sudden we give a penalty away for ripping the ball out, then we give another penalty for being offside.
“I think we worked out in the first 20 minutes, we did 30 more tackles than them, and when you start like that, with a team that’s a little bit unconfident anyway given the way the season’s gone, you’re just on the back foot straight away once your energy level’s gone down.
“We need to start well, we need to understand how you build a game, and it’s probably a little bit late in the day for that in the season, but it’s something we need to address in particular next year.”
Castleford will head to face Robinson’s former club Huddersfield next year in a game where the club could restore some pride and he asserted that there remains plenty to play for, namely each other, the fans and the badge.
Robinson said: “I’m very new with the situation obviously, but they’ve had a pretty tough ride have the Castleford Tigers – everybody involved really, from a club perspective, from the fans, from the players.
“There’s always something to play for, I’ve said this numerous times. There’s only one game next week but the playing group need to put performance out for themselves more than anything else, but for the team-mates.
“They’re never going to play this group of players ever again, so you want to make sure you go out and create some good memories, not only for you and your team-mates, but for the fans and the shirt.
“I don’t think we did that tonight, we’re a side that’s very unconfident, and when things don’t go our way we just hope to get a grasp of the game again, and that’s an education thing, that’s a confidence thing, that’s something we can try and get right this week, fingers crossed for comfort, and finish on a high next week.”
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