Daryl Powell: ‘I haven’t had a better win than that’

Castleford coach Daryl Powell said their win over Warrington is up there with the best of his coaching career.

The Tigers beat the Wolves 34-30 at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Friday night.

Castleford are now level on points with third-placed Warrington, with a game in hand. Powell said the result is one of the highest ranked in his coaching career.

He said: “We have had some big wins and some semi-finals that we have won dramatically but I think for character, toughness and resilience, I haven’t had a better win than that.

“We played away from home against a team who have been one of the top two in the competition all year and I thought we outplayed them, we were phenomenal.

“We have set ourselves a standard now defensively and since the St Helens game, we have stepped up massively. I said to them after the game ‘no matter who is playing, this is what a Castleford team should look like’ and I thought it was an awesome effort from everyone.

“It was a massive effort from Adz (Adam Milner). He was tough at nine, defensively and with the ball. He had a 10-minute break in the sin bin but that was probably handy for him. It gave him a bit of a breather but I just thought he was outstanding. There were some massive efforts all around.”

Quentin Laulu-Togaga’e and Mitch Clark made their debuts for Castleford. Laulu-Togaga’e has recently joined from Halifax, while Clark has been proving his worth on loan at Featherstone Rovers in the Championship.

And Powell was impressed by what he saw from the pair.

He added: “Q did some smart things throughout the game and he grew in confidence and as we put more pressure on Warrington, he started to run with the ball.

“I have always liked him as a player but he has never been there as an option to sign. I haven’t chased him but I probably should have thought about him a little bit earlier in the season, but I thought he was happy where he was at Toronto.

“He is a good signing for us and he looks comfortable at this level.

“I am pleased for Mitch Clark getting his first look in. He has been great to work with, he hasn’t moaned at all. He has played for Featherstone and has done well for them and has just got on with it. Mitch has been a bit of a slow burner over a long time now, but there is a really good player in him.”

Greg Eden and Paul McShane were late drop-outs for the Tigers with hamstring and calf injuries respectively. The duo will be assessed further in the coming days.