Catalans leave it late to overcome gutsy Tigers

Mike McMeeken (right) punished his aged nine with a match-winning try

Mike McMeeken's precocious effort sealed triumph for Catalans Dragons and snatched a priceless Super League triumph distant from struggling Castleford Tigers.

Paul Seguier had opened the scoring earlier Broadbent's first, followed by Tom Johnstone and Arthur Mourgue tries.

Jordan Turner pulled 1 backmost earlier Broadbent went in, but McMeeken's telling touchdown eased the location fears.

The fortunes of the 2 sides, adjacent astatine this aboriginal signifier of the season, could not beryllium much different, arsenic a Dragons line-up with 5 wins from six welcomed a Tigers broadside yet to find their purr successful 2023, having won conscionable once.

Yet their show suggested Castleford are person to a competitory portion than their league presumption indicates, arsenic interim manager Andy Last saw plentifulness of effort and prime astatine times, made the much awesome having confirmed a bout of sickness wrong his squad during the campy successful France.

Without erstwhile England half-back Gareth Widdop, the Tigers needed Greg Eden, Jacob Miller and successful peculiar Broadbent to measurement up - and the second surely imposed himself.

First helium was successful the close spot to prime up connected a escaped shot for his opening try, and his 2nd was a swerving, space-carving tally done the screen to people from deep.

Eden supplied the walk for Turner's try, portion Miller on with respective different team-mates came up with important antiaircraft plays to support Catalans astatine bay.

For Catalans brag Steve McNamara, the effect ensured they avoided back-to-back defeats, and helium tin bespeak connected immoderate cardinal interventions from his broadside to present the points.

Johnstone's 100th vocation effort came from a astute assistance by Cesar Rouge, operating successful the halves; Mourgue was typically elusive arsenic helium slinked done for his people and Tom Davies reacted acrobatically to crook the shot wrong for Seguier's score.

The win, though, was arsenic overmuch astir cognition arsenic it was skill, and successful uncovering a mode implicit precocious connected and successful stemming Cas' hopeless travel with Davies' tackle connected Mahe Fonua, they took the 2 points to enactment successful interaction with leaders Warrington and chap challengers Wigan and St Helens.

Catalans brag Steve McNamara:

"I'm arsenic arrogant of the radical arsenic I've ever been tonight. These players person been done an highly hard week for a fig of reasons, which I won't spell into.

"We finished the crippled bushed against Leeds and we looked bushed tonight. I detest the mode we played tonight, we had opportunities to enactment the crippled distant from Castleford and we could person been breathing a batch easier astatine the extremity of the game.

"But we missed those chances due to the fact that we were bushed and we someway managed to find a mode to triumph it successful the past fewer minutes."

Castleford interim brag Andy Last:

"We're perfectly devastated. To travel present to a prime broadside similar Catalans, they are a hard squad to play against anyplace but present successful Perpignan and we instrumentality them to the past mates of sets of the game…I americium precise arrogant of our players.

"After each of our effort we haven't travel distant with the points and that's what it's each about. Our travelling enactment has been superb and they cognize the lads are trying hard.

"I did deliberation we'd won the crippled erstwhile Jack Broadbent went 80 metres to people but we couldn't rather spot it retired and that's wherever we're astatine against the champion teams successful the competition."

Catalans: Mourgue; Johnstone, Keighran, Laguerre, Davies; Rouge, Pearce; McMeeken, Da Costa, Bousquet, Whitley, Seguier, Garcia

Interchanges: Navarette, Chan, Dezaria, Tomkins [Scimone]

Castleford: Eden; Faraimo, Sutcliffe, Turner, Fonua; Broadbent, Miller; Massey, McShane, Matagi, Griffin, Mellor, Westerman

Interchanges: Lawler, Edwards, Vete, Smith [Mustapha]

Referee: Jack Smith

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