Saints beat the Tigers 40-4 at the Totally Wicked Stadium on Friday evening, in their final home regular season game of 2024!
Saints took an early fourth minute lead at the Totally Wicked Stadium. Alex Walmsley broke through the Castleford defence, finding Jake Burns in support on his inside to score. Jon Bennison converted, 6-0 Saints led.
Burns gets the first points on the board for @Saints1890 🤩#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/oyJHgJth9N
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) September 13, 2024
A second try quickly followed. Saints kept the ball alive, as Mark Percival offloaded to Lewis Dodd, he found Jack Welsby who broke through a gap, finding Bennison in support to cross for Saints’ second try early on. He was unable to add the extras, 10-0.
Saints had a great chance to add another score. Good movement saw Saints shift it to the right edge, with Tommy Makinson making the break. He had Jonny Lomax in support on his inside, but he was unable to gather the pass, with the try-line beckoning.
Bennison had another 26 minutes in. Saints moved the ball through the hands from right to left, Welsby throwing the cut-out pass for the Saints #5 to dive over in the corner. He couldn’t convert his own try, 14-0.
Castleford tried to wrestle their way back into the game. Rowan Milnes kicked a 40/20 for the Yorkshire outfit, but a sloppy pass during the set allowed Sione Mata’utia to pounce on the loose ball.
With just under eight minutes of the half to go, we had a trip to the video referee. Saints applied pressure to the Tigers line, Burns tried to pinch one from dummy half, with the on-field verdict of no try. The video referee agreeing with the decision.
Castleford got one back just before the break. The visitors going left and Fletcher Rooney scored in the corner. Milnes missed the conversion with the final kick of the half, 14-4 Saints led at the break.
Four minutes into the second half, Saints had their fourth try. Near the line, Lomax picked the ball up and dummied, scoring from close range. Bennison converting, 20-4.
Cheeky from @lomax_1990 🤭@Saints1890 start as they mean to go on in the second half 😇#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/Aefkr3F9ag
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) September 13, 2024
Saints had a fifth try 15 minutes into the second forty. Again camped on the Castleford line, Daryl Clark found Agnatius Paasi who bulldozed over from close range. Bennison added the extras, 26-4.
Another could have followed three minutes later. A high kick to the corner was patted backwards by Makinson towards Lomax, but a scrambling Tigers defence forced an error.
Saints did have another try with 18 minutes to go. The ball was shifted from under the sticks to the left edge, Bennison getting the ball and sliding over in the corner for his hat-trick. Bennison’s conversion bounced out off the post, 30-4.
Try number seven followed. Saints moved it right, Makinson broke away down the wing and finished in the corner in his final home league appearance for the Red V. Bennison couldn’t convert, 34-4.
With just under 90 seconds to go, Saints grabbed their eighth try. George Delaney was determined to get to the try-line, barging through defenders before crashing through the try-line.Sione Mata’utia added the extras with the final kick of the game, as Saints wrapped up a dominant 40-4 victory over Castleford at the Totally Wicked Stadium.
👏 A big win for Saints over the Raiders, as we finish the league season with 13 wins from a possible 14!#COYS pic.twitter.com/OBpebUovwd
— St.Helens Women (@saints1890women) September 13, 2024
Match Summary
Saints Team: Jack Welsby, Tommy Makinson, Sione Mata’utia, Mark Percival, Jon Bennison, Jonny Lomax, Lewis Dodd, Alex Walmsley, Jake Burns, Matty Lees, Matt Whitley, Joe Batchelor, Morgan Knowles.
Interchanges: Daryl Clark, James Bell, Agnatius Paasi, George Delaney.
18th Man: Ben Davies.
Tries: Jake Burns (4), Jon Bennison (9, 26, 62), Jonny Lomax (44), Agnatius Paasi (55), Tommy Makinson (66), George Delaney (79)
Conversions: Jon Bennison (3 from 7), Sione Mata’utia (1 from 1)
Castleford Tigers Team: Fletcher Rooney, Jason Qareqare, Luke Hooley, Alex Mellor, Innes Senior, Rowan Milnes, Jacob Miller, Liam Watts, Paul McShane, Muizz Mustapha, George Lawler, Elie El-Zakhem, Liam Horne.
Interchanges: Jenson Windley, Daniel Hindmarsh, Brad Martin, Akim Matvejev.
18th Man: George Hill.
Tries: Fletcher Rooney (40)
Conversions: Rowan Milnes (0 from 1)
HT: 14-4
FT: 40-4
Attendance: 12,058
