Round 20
Castleford Tigers 40 d. Hull FC 18

2009 engage English Super League Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: United Kingdom > National > First Grade Competition: engage English Super League

Chase the star as Castleford maintain play-off hopes
Mon July 13, 2009
Source: www.superleague.co.uk

Rangi Chase capped a virtuoso display with two tries as Castleford Tigers maintained their engage Super League play-off hopes at the expense of fading Hull FC.

Stand-off Chase was the outstanding figure as the Tigers outscored their visitors by seven tries to three at the The Jungle to move into a five-way tie for fifth place.

Most of the damage was done in the first half as Craig Huby, Michael Wainwright and Ryan Hudson found their way over after Chase's opener.

Chase scored again early in the second half, before Michael Shenton and Wainwright wrapped up only the Tigers' third home win of the season and first since March.

Hull were rarely in the game but got on the scoresheet through Willie Manu, Kirk Yeaman and Jodie Broughton.

Castleford were gifted the perfect start when Tommy Lee's wayward pass was intercepted by Chase in the fourth minute and run back for a try.

Hull struggled to deal with the dangerous Chase throughout - and the Kiwi, back in his favoured half-back role, caused more problems with a high kick that forced the visitors to drop out.

Chase almost created a second try from the resulting set of six with a delicate kick, but Dean Widders knocked on attempting to touch down.

It was of little relief to injury-hit Hull, whose patched-up side included new signing Josh Cordoba - just two days after he arrived in the country from Australia - and broken-hand victim Danny Tickle.

The visitors could not stem the tide and were 24-0 down after just 26 minutes.

Huby claimed the Tigers' second try from a Hudson kick after 16 minutes, and a third looked inevitable as Hull continued to miss tackles and allow offloads.

They managed to haul Chris Feather down close to the line. But the respite was brief, as Chase spread play wide and Brett Ferres sent Wainwright over on the left.

Hudson, returning after 12 weeks out with a broken arm, then claimed a fourth after Ryan Clayton found a hole in the Hull defence on halfway.

Joe Westerman's four goals added to Castleford's superiority, and it could have been worse for Hull had Tigers full-back Richard Owen not been denied on three occasions by refereeing decisions.

Hull at least managed to finish the first half strongly as Manu barged over from close range to score against his former club - and Tickle converted.

A Gareth Raynor break on the hooter almost yielded further points, but Cas held out and reasserted their authority through Chase after the restart.

Chase again wrong-footed the Hull defence with a burst of pace and a clever dummy to touch down out wide.

He then showed his value in defence with a brilliant tackle on Tickle, but Hull clawed back some respectability as Yeaman found his way to the line and Richard Whiting added the goal.

With more than 20 minutes remaining, Hull still had time. But any thoughts of a fightback were extinguished when Ryan McGoldrick put Shenton over with a powerful pass.

Wainwright crossed out wide, and Westerman converted to rub further salt in the wounds late on - although Broughton broke clear for a last-minute Hull consolation.


Airlie News: Hull FC v Castleford
Sat July 11, 2009
Source: www.hullfc.com

Hull FC Head Coach Richard Agar looks set to hand a debut to new signing Josh Cordoba against Castleford on Sunday.

The Aussie comes in for the injured Jamie Thackray in the only change to the squad that was named to face Leeds last weekend.

Richard Horne looks like he should come through in time to play, despite an eye injury, while Danny Tickle may also feature despite suffering from a fractured wrist.

"Tickle is up in the air at the moment, obviously I would rather not play people with broken hands, but it depends how much he is feeling it and how much padding and an injection will do to him," Agar said.

"On Monday he couldn't even brush his teeth, so that shows how much it has swelled up and regardless of the injury that is a concern on it's own. He has even had Thacks brushing his teeth for him! But we will see how he goes, we won't take any risks."

The big news though is a debut for Cordoba even though he only landed in the country on Thursday.

The 25-year-old was brought in earlier this week as Hull try and get by without seven first team players, along with the absent Hame Lauaki because of the well-documented visa issues.

The powerful Australian prop has joined until the end of the season from the Parramatta Eels where he made his debut in 2006 and has since gone on to make over 50 appearances for the NRL side.

Hull FC Head Coach Richard Agar said, "Obviously with the injuries to Cusack, Dowes and Thackray we have been left very light in the front row.

"Josh will help shore us up in that department. He is a good player with plenty of experience and is looking forward to getting here."

Cordoba wasn't the only big news of the week on the signings front for Hull either.

The Black and Whites continued their impressive dealings in the market as they strengthen their squad for an assault on Super League next season with the signing of another big name player in the form of Aussie International prop forward Mark O'Meley.

A deal for the 28-year-old was announced prior to kick-off of last weekends 43-30 defeat against Leeds and dominated the post match reports.

O'Meley follows in the footsteps of Craig Fitzgibbon and Jordan Tansey who are also on their way from NRL side Sydney Roosters as well as the highly decorated Sean Long.

O'Meley, or 'The Ogre' as he is nicknamed has signed a two-year contract with the Airlie Birds, with the possibility of a further third year, and he can't wait to get going next year.

"Hull are a massive club, I know a lot about them from the people I have spoken to and they are certainly well known down here," he said.

"They look like a club on the way up, I looked at the personnel and the guys to come like Fitzy and Long and they look strong."

He added, "The atmosphere over here is great, but I have heard about the fans over there and it is going to be something else and I am really looking forward to being part of it.

"I just can't wait for the challenge, I think it is an interesting one which excites me right now and I get to compare playing in the NRL and playing in Super League, so we'll just see how it goes."

Hull FC Head Coach Richard Agar also commented "Mark will provide more aggression and toughness, he only knows one way," he said.

"He is another addition that will bring leadership to the table."

The attention now though turns back to matters on the field and the rest of the current season.

The Black and Whites have been showing signs of improvement in recent weeks, particularly in the second half against Leeds, however, it doesn't mask the fact they have just 3 wins in their last 15 matches.

However, Agar is adamant that if they can repeat the enthusiasm shown in last week's second half, for a full 80 minutes, they will be close to turning things around against Castleford.

"We've got to build on the good things, we know we have to be on our metal, improve in defence and carry forward that raw enthusiasm we saw in the second half against Leeds," he said.

"Like ourselves, they are jockeying for a play-off spot and the next few weeks are vital for us, we play a lot of teams that are in direct competition with us and it starts this weekend."

The current injury problems have opened up the door to a number of squad players who have the chance to shine.

Sam Moa came off the bench to put in his best performance yet in a Black and White shirt, while Richard Whiting looked impressive after dropping back into an unfamiliar role at full-back.

"I have played there before coming through the junior ranks at Featherstone, so I have a little experience playing there," Whiting said.

"If Richard needs me to play there and it is for the good of the team I will play there as long as needed, as long as I am playing I am not bothered which position," added the 24-year-old.

As for Castleford, they have been in a similar vein of form.

The Tigers have won just 2 of their last 8 outings, but they did enjoy a good win against Bradford last week.

Terry Matterson's men ran out winners by 40 points to 38 at Odsall with a performance that impressed Hull coach Richard Agar.

"They had an amazing win last week, it was a crazy game. They have plenty of flair and play a lot of football so it has the makings of an entertaining game."

Former Hull FC player Kirk Dixon looks like he will be fit in time to face his former club.

The 24-year-old joined The Tigers from Hull in 2007 and recently signed a new deal at The Jungle.

10 points for the former Hull Ionians man this weekend would see him hit a big milestone of 500 career points.

Sunday's game will go down as the decider following two fixtures already this season.

Back in March, Castleford became the first side to beat Hull this season with a 19-18 victory at the KC Stadium, ending the Black and Whites unbeaten start to the season.

However, Hull took their revenge at the Murrayfield Magic Weekend in Scotland with a 24-16 win.

Hull also hold the advantage in terms of recent Super League history, with the Airlie Birds having won 12 of the 22 meetings between both sides.

SQUADS
Hull: Berrigan, Broughton, Burnett, Cordoba, Houghton, G Horne, R Horne, Hodgson, King, Lee, Maloney, Manu, Moa, Radford, Raynor, Tickle, Thorman, Whiting, Yeaman.

Cas: Boyle, Clayton, Chase, Dixon, Feather, Ferres, Higgins, Huby, Hudson, Jones, McGoldrick, Netherton, Owen, Sargent, Shenton, Sherwin, Wainwright, Westerman, Widders

HEAD 2 HEAD
Home: played 11, won 7, drawn 1, lost 3, for 256, against 163
Away: played 10, won 4, drawn 1, lost 5, for 256, against 237
Neutral: played 1, won 1, drawn 0, lost 5, for 24, against 16
Total: played 22, won 12, drawn 2, lost 8, for 536, against 416

LAST MEETING
Hull FC 24-16 Castleford Tigers - Murrayfield - 29,763 (Sun 3rd May 09)

LAST FIXTURES
Sat 4th July-Venue: The KC Stadium, Att: 11,780
Hull (12) 30
T: G Raynor 1, K Yeaman 1, S Berrigan 1, D Tickle 1, M Burnett 1
G: D Tickle 5

Leeds (30) 43
T: L Smith 1, S Donald 1, A Gibson 1, K Senior 1, R Hall 2, K Sinfield 1
G: K Sinfield 7
DG: R Burrow 1

Sun 5th July-Grattan Stadium, Att: 8,971
Bradford (22) 38
T: D Halley 1, S Tadulala 1, B Jeffries 2, N Scruton 1, S Burgess 1, M Worrincy 1
G: P Sykes 1, P Deacon 4

Castleford (12) 40
T: J Thompson 1, D Widders 1, M Shenton 2, R Chase 2, J Westerman 1
G: J Westerman 6

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