Leigh player ratings in Castleford Tigers victory as Leopards strengthen grip on play-off place

Leigh Leopards strengthened their grip on a play-off spot with a 34-12 win away against Castleford Tigers on Friday night.

Adrian Lam’s side, who have now won nine of their last 10 games, were 18-6 up come the break in West Yorkshire.

They then ran in three tries during a second half which saw Tigers youngster Jenson Windley and their own skipper John Asiata sin-binned to end up comfortable victors.

Here are our Leopards player ratings from the press box at The Jungle…

Matt Moylan – 8

Moylan was magnificent all evening, and we’re now seeing the Australian star that Leigh brought over after a first year in the UK which has largely seen him struggle for consistency whether that’s due to injury or form. Earning 10 of Leigh’s points with his boot at The Jungle, his link-up for Ricky Leutele’s second half try was a joy to watch.

Josh Charnley – 8

Charnley’s try 14 minutes in was sublime, bursting through about four Castleford defenders and dragging them over the line as well as his own frame to dot the ball down. He was denied a couple of times in the second half, but the veteran winger remains an absolute force. One of the best to ever do it in Super League.

Ricky Leutele – 8

Leutele continues to show why he’s worthy of a contract in Super League next year, even if it’s not going to be with Leigh. The centre showed a great rugby league IQ to earn his second half try, linking up with Moylan, and he deserved that moment of glory for a really impressive performance overall in defence and attack.

Umyla Hanley – 6

Hanley’s rating is only low compared to the rest of Leigh’s 17 because he was forced off through injury late on in the first half having struggled for a good 15 minutes beforehand. We never got to see the best of him on Friday night, and boss Lam will be hoping his issue isn’t a serious one.

Darnell McIntosh – 7

McIntosh had an understated evening with the ball in hand, but he did his job effectively at both ends of the field and helped ensure it would be a comfortable night for Lam’s men.

Gareth O’Brien – 8

O’Brien has been tremendous for Leigh since returning from a concussion-related injury lay-off at Magic Weekend, consistently impressing in the halves. He helped to torment former employers Castleford, not giving them a moment’s peace until he was forced off for a HIA. Even then, once he’d come back on, he caused issues again.

Lachlan Lam – 9

The orchestrator, Lam was as electric as ever, constantly making things happen with the ball in hand. Castleford simply couldn’t contain him, and he unlocked the door for team-mates to burst through the Tigers’ line numerous times, especially in the second half as Leigh began to run away with it.

Tom Amone – 9

Amone has been sensational all year, and he proved too much to handle oncemore on Friday night, with Castleford struggling to get hold of him when he had the ball in hand. The prop’s tries evidenced that, and it’s very difficult to pick a flaw in his game. It’ll be intriguing to see how he fares back in the NRL come 2025.

Matt Davis – 8

Davis was thrust in to replace Edwin Ipape, even tougher a job out on the field than it sounds on paper. He might not have been as effective with the ball in hand coming out of dummy-half, but there can be no complaints with how Davis fared in defence. A job well done overall.

Robbie Mulhern – 8

Mulhern broke through the Cas line early on in the first half, and at that point it appeared he was going to really enjoy his evening at The Jungle. While we’re sure that was the case with the result and overall showing, he never really managed to grip the game by the scruff of the neck after that. The England international didn’t do much wrong though, doing what was needed.

Kai O’Donnell – 9

We – and plenty of others – have said this countless times already, but Leigh really are going to miss O’Donnell when he departs for the NRL at the end of the season. He’s consistently magnificent to watch, and Friday evening’s showing was no different. The try he got to open up the scoring was the beginning of another fine display.

Frankie Halton – 8

Halton’s defensive efforts often go under the radar, but he delivered another big effort at The Jungle. We’re yet to be able to see his stats, but we’d wager they’d be impressive. He’s struck up a real partnership with O’Donnell, one of the best back-rower partnerships in the competition.

John Asiata – 7

Asiata would have got an 8 from us but for his yellow card in the second half, received for a pretty needless late shot. It didn’t cost Leigh here, but in the games against stronger opponents which are to come, it could well have done. Other than that, we thought it was a decent showing from the Leopards’ skipper.

Jack Hughes (Interchange) – 7

Hughes did what he had to do when he entered the action, standing tall in defence when called upon to ensure it remained a comfortable evening for Leigh.

Owen Trout (Interchange) – 8

Trout did the same as above, but we thought he just delivered a bit more than Hughes. Only marginally, mind.

Brad Dwyer (Interchange) – 8

Dwyer always seems to make an impact for Leigh when he enters the action, and Friday night was no different. Always keen to get at opposition defences from dummy-half, he helped to cause a bit of havoc during his time on the field at The Jungle.

Aaron Pene (Interchange) – 7

A solid stint from Pene, who led the charge for O’Brien’s try early on in the second half. The prop’s sheer size caused Castleford issues, and like some of his other team-mates, the Tigers struggled to get hold of the big forward.

Leigh tries: Kai O’Donnell, Josh Charnley, Tom Amone (2), Gareth O’Brien, Ricky Leutele

Goals: Matt Moylan (5)