TWENTY-year-old George Flanagan and experienced Tui Lolohea started and finished it as Huddersfield posted their third win of the season.
The 30-12 success at Mend-a-Hose Jungle came just a fortnight after Luke Robinson’s side shocked Warrington but less than a week after a shocking 32-0 loss away to Catalans.
Eleven minutes from the end of see-sawing Super League contest, fullback Flanagan took a deft pass from 30-year-old Lolohea to flop over the tryline.
Then the Tonga half snatched an intercept and raced 80 metres to make sure if it.
Forty-three seconds into the game, Huddersfield hooker Zac Woolford was dispatched to the sin bin for pushing over Joe Westerman after he had passed the ball.
But it was nevertheless the Giants who scored first, a long-range effort sparked by Flanagan and finished by Lolohea.
Woolford was involved when the Giants posted their second, through centre Sam Halsall, eight minutes before the break and at 12-0 the home side had been barely sighted.
But forward George Lawler pegged one back off Rowan Milnes’ pass in the final three minutes of the opening stanza.
Next, in the shadows of the late evening and of halftime, Zac Cini survived the scrutiny of the video referee for another Tigers try as the game changed in the twinkling of an eye.
Taane Milne, whose relationship with an opponent’s eye was a matter of conjecture a fortnight ago, had a try disallowed early in the second half but – undeterred – crossed in the 51st.
With 19 minutes left, Cas’ Innes Senior lost the ball over the line.
HUDDERSFIELD 30 (Lolohea 2 Halsall Milne Flanagan tries Flanagan 5 goals) beat CASTLEFORD 12 (Lawler Cini tries Milnes 2 goals) at Mend-a-Hose Jungle. Crowd: 6669.
Teams:
CASTLEFORD: Zac Cini; Josh Simm, Louis Senior, Sam Wood, Innes Senior; Daejarn Asi, Chris Atkin; Brad Singleton, George Hill, Tom Amone, George Lawler, Alex Mellor, Joe Westerman. Res: Rowan Milnes, George Griffin, Sam Hall, Joe Stimson. 18th man: Will Tate.
HUDDERSFIELD: George Flanagan; Adam Swift, Sam Halsall, Taane Mile, Jacob Gagai; Tui Lolohea, Matt Frawley; Oli Wilson, Zac Woolford, Tristan Powell, Harry Rushton, Joe Greenwood, Leroy Cudjoe. Res: Ashton Golding, George King, Tom Burgess, Kieran Rush. 18th man: Matty English.
Referee: James Vella.
