Hull FC 12-23 Castleford: Player ratings and major talking points

Tonight, Castleford continued their great momentum with a tough win over Hull FC in their own backyard. They caught the Black and Whites cold on the back of their brilliant derby win and have definitely put the cat amongst the pigeons where the play-offs are concerned.

Major Talking Points:

1. The impossible dream is well and truly alive

A few weeks ago the only people tipping Castleford for the top six wore black and amber jerseys. That’s all changed in the last four games and tonight, on a night when they absolutely needed to win to keep in touch with the top six, they outplayed a Hull team coming into the game on the back of the best win of the season. It would take a brave man to bet against Castleford finishing in the play-off spots now.

2. Milner the man

When star player Paul McShane limped off, I feared for the Tigers not just tonight but moving forward as well. He’s Castleford’s most important player and is especially key to the way they attack. Adam Milner, once upon a time the Tigers’ number nine but now firmly established at loose-forward, moved into hooker and played like a man who never left the number nine jumper. He was composed and smart and offered a great running game. If McShane is badly injured, he’ll be a sound alternative.

3. Ups and downs for Hull

The problem for Hull over recent years has been their inconsistency. I certainly believe Brett Hodgson has begun to change that and the Black and Whites feel much closer to Super League success than they did 12 months ago. However, tonight’s defeat was all too familiar. On the back of a massive win at the expense of play-off rivals and local enemies Hull KR, they were expected to kick on. They didn’t and struggled to contain Castleford who owned possession, dictated field position and opened Hull up in the big moments. If they want to make the top six, this is going to have to change and fast.

Player Ratings:

Hull FC
1 Jake Connor – 8
2 Bureta Faraimo – 8
3 Carlos Tuimavave – 6
24 Cameron Scott – 8
21 Adam Swift – 7
19 Ben McNamara – 6
7 Marc Sneyd – 6
8 Scott Taylor – 6
9 Danny Houghton – 6
13 Ligi Sao – 6
11 Andre Savelio – 6
12 Manu Ma’u – 8
16 Jordan Lane – 6
Substitutes
5 Mahe Fonua – 6
10 Chris Satae – 6
14 Jordan Johnstone – 6
17 Brad Fash – 6

Castleford
1 Niall Evalds – 8
2 Derrell Olpherts – 7
3 Peter Mata’utia – 7
25 Jordan Turner – 8
23 Greg Eden – 7
31 Gareth O’Brien – 6
7 Danny Richardson – 8
15 George Griffin – 7
9 Paul McShane – 6
22 Daniel Smith – 7
17 Alex Foster – 6
12 Cheyse Blair – 6
14 Nathan Massey – 6
Substitutes
8 Liam Watts – 6
11 Oliver Holmes – 7
13 Adam Milner – 8
24 Suaia Matagi – 7