Huddersfield Giants are back at the top of the Super League XVIII table after returning to winning ways against Castleford Tigers.
And 20-year-old winger Ben Blackmore celebrated his Super League debut by scoring two well-taken tries.
But that’s where the positivity ends.
Yes, the response the Giants showed in the first half after suffering their heavy Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat at Warrington seven days earlier was great to see. The way the Giants have reacted to losses has been excellent all season.
Yet the mood after Super League win No17 was understandably subdued after they almost threw everything away with a shambolic second-half showing.
By half-time the game already looked in the bag as the Giants opened up a 36-4 interval advantage.
Within a couple of minutes, the events of last Sunday were already looking a distant memory, with the hosts immediately on the front foot.
With props Eorl Crabtree and Craig Kopczak laying an awesome foundation, Huddersfield were soon putting the Tigers to the sword.
For many it looked game over, with Castleford needing to mount a record Super League comeback – currently held by Wigan, who fought back from 26-0 down to win 42-36 at Hull KR last September – but not for the Tigers.
By the 65th minute, the deficit had been reduced to 36-28, and with a little more composure close to the Giants’ tryline that lead could easily have disappeared during those anxious closing stages.
Luckily, two tries in the final five minutes from impressive duo Aaron Murphy and Kyle Wood saved the home side’s blushes – although not an ear-bashing from very unimpressed head coach Paul Anderson!
But how impressed will Anderson have been with that opening 40 minutes as his side set about devouring the Tigers in the cruellest of manner.
A third-minute Wood half-break almost brought the opener, before the Giants cut loose in the ninth minute to score the first of their six first-half tries, all of which were converted by Danny Brough.
Strong early drives after Castleford were forced to drop out from under their posts paved the way for try No1 as Murphy showed great strength to feed Joe Wardle to finish off in the corner.
And four minutes later the lead was doubled when Brough intercepted a Tigers pass on his own 20 and raced clear to score, despite the best efforts of Weller Hauraki.
The third try followed just four minutes later on the back of a successful Brough 40-20 in front of watching England coach Steve McNamara.
From the resulting scrum, the Giants worked the blindside for Leroy Cudjoe to feed Blackmore to finish strongly in the right corner.
Cudjoe then went from provider to scorer in the 24th minute as he collected from acting half-back 15m out and showed amazing power to take numerous players over the line with him. That made it 30-0 after just 24 minutes.
The Tigers did have one brought moment when Michael Shenton charged over in the corner for an unconverted score eight minutes before the break.
But the Giants had the final first-half say when Blackmore showed great speed and excellent finishing power to score in the corner.
Castleford made a promising start to the second period when Justin Carney showed great strength to brush past his markers and race 70m to score in the 42nd minute and added a second six minutes later when Daryl Clark plunged over from a metre out from acting half.
With Kirk Dixon’s conversions, it was 36-16.
The visitors got even closer with 25 minutes when Rangi Chase showed great footwork and skill to embarrass the Giants defence and race away to give his side 18 points without reply.
A 57th-minute Brough 40-20 should have settled their nerves, but Huddersfield again squandered possession in promising territory.
And they were made to pay again in the 65th minute when Hauraki skipped through some more half-hearted tackles to score and reduce the deficit to eight points. It was now anyone’s game.
But with Castleford desperately looking to get even closer, they came up with crucial errors to let the Giants off the hook and hand tries to Murphy and Wood, nestled between a second for Carney.
In the end, victory was achieved, even though the manner of it was hardly one expected of a side sitting proudly on the Super League summit!
