Wakefield Trinity produced a dominant display at the DIY Kitchens Stadium, beating Castleford Tigers 52-14 on Friday to extend their winning streak to six matches and strengthen their surprise challenge in the Betfred Super League.
Red card failed to disrupt Trinity
The match took an early twist when Matty Storton, who had opened the scoring, was sent off after 22 minutes for a shoulder contact with the head of Alex Mellor. Rather than collapse, the home side regrouped and went on to score nine tries in a comprehensive victory.
Coach Daryl Powell's side coped impressively with a numerical disadvantage, spending almost three quarters of the game with 12 players yet still controlling the ball for around 65% of the time, with half-back Jake Trueman orchestrating play.
Try scorers and kicking
Wakefield's tries came from Matty Storton, Caius Faatili, Max Jowitt, Isaiah Vagana, Tom Johnstone (two), Corey Hall and Lachlan Walmsley (two). Jowitt booted eight conversions.
| Team | Score | Notable scorers |
|---|---|---|
| Wakefield Trinity | 52 | Storton; Faatili; Jowitt; Vagana; Johnstone (2); Hall; Walmsley (2) |
| Castleford Tigers | 14 | Tom Weaver; Jason Qareqare (2) |
Castleford had early moments, going ahead 10-6 after Weaver and Qareqare crossed, but Wakefield responded before half-time and ran away with the contest after the interval.
- 45 seconds: Johnstone set up Storton for the game's opening try.
- 22 minutes: Storton sent off, putting Wakefield down to 12 men.
- 29 minutes: Caius Faatili came off the bench to score and swing momentum back to Trinity.
- Second half: Wakefield added several tries, with Johnstone completing a brace and Walmsley also crossing twice.
The victory underlined Wakefield's resilience and character. Playing a man light for most of the match, they produced the kind of clinical finishing and control of possession that has become a feature of their recent run.
For Castleford, who had arrived off the back of an eye-catching win over Leeds earlier in the week, the result will be a sobering reminder of the fine margins at this level. The Tigers threatened in patches but were ultimately overwhelmed by a Trinity side that showed pace out wide and accurate kicking from Jowitt.
Locally, the result will be welcomed by Trinity supporters who have watched their team rise up the table in recent weeks. The win keeps momentum with Wakefield as the season heads into its next phase, while Castleford will need to regroup quickly.
