Castleford Tigers are still clinging on to the hope of a play-off spot despite a dismal 50-10 loss to the Salford Red Devils at the weekend.
Salford ran into a 20-0 lead after just 12 minutes and Castleford head coach Lee Radford revealed just how disappointed he was with the performance but that he has been left ‘scratching his head’ ahead of a crunch clash with the Leeds Rhinos next weekend.
That game will decide which West Yorkshire side will progress through to the play-offs, but it looks ominous for the Tigers.
“How we looked physically is a real issue. Two games in the amount of days we played, the lack of numbers in our squad – you could argue it’s to be expected,” Radford said after the game.
“My chin hit the floor with the way we started in that first 20 minutes.
“It was two different levels of performance – I thought they were fantastic.
“They looked energetic, fast and played some really, really good football, but we looked busted, old and tired unfortunately.
“The scoreline probably reflects that. I’m deflated and scratching my head a little bit as to how we get right for Saturday.”
Castleford will once more have to deal without Liam Watts who has been banned for the SIXTH time in 2022.
The Disciplinary Match Review Panel minutes state: “Dangerous Contact – A defending player makes contact with an opponent after the ball has been released by an opponent in a vulnerable position which causes flexion to the head, neck or spinal column on an attacking player, which poses an unacceptable risk of injury to that player. Grade B.”
It means that, with Radford’s men already doing it tough with injuries, that one of their main men will be suspended for the most important game of the season.
