Huddersfield Giants produced a Jekyll and Hyde performance to move within a game of securing a top-four finish with three Super 8s games remaining with their 40-26 triumph over Castleford Tigers.

When the hosts found their top form they were simply irresistible and too hot to handle.

They thoroughly deserved their eight-try haul.

But they were also guilty of overplaying at times and produced several lapses in defence, which won’t have pleased demanding head coach Paul Anderson.

He’ll be expecting much more when Huddersfield host Warrington Wolves next Sunday.

Having said that, it was still a special night, with Eorl Crabtree marking his 400th Giants appearance with his side’s final try.

Huddersfield Giants v Castleford Tigers. John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield. Eorl Crabtree scores a try on his 400th appearance for the Giants.

Although the Giants looked in the mood in the opening exchanges, it as Castleford who took the early initiative with two tries in the opening 15 minutes to lead 10-0.

And both scores would have disappointed head coach Anderson, given the fact the Giants boast the best defence in the competition .

They were two relatively soft efforts to say the least.

The opener came when Luke Gale was given all the time in the world from a scrum inside the Huddersfield 10 to race over in comfort and then add the extras.

Then Ben Roberts raced across the face of the density line before finding the perfect pass for Ashley Gibson to touch down in the corner.

At that stage it was a little worrying.

But everything changed as soon as Mike McMeeken was sin-binned for a trip on Joe Wardle after 19minutes.

By the time the centre had returned to the fray, Huddersfield were 20-10 up. It was as costly a yellow card as you’ll ever see.

Just moments after McMeeken had departed, former Tigers prop Craig Huby had fed Ukuma Ta’ai to stroll over for Danny Brough to convert.

Huddersfield Giants v Castleford Tigers, John Smith's Stadium: Ukuma Ta'ai scores the first try
Huddersfield Giants v Castleford Tigers, John Smith's Stadium: Ukuma Ta'ai scores the first try

Three minutes later, the side were all square as Wardle and Leroy Cudjoe provided the golden touches to put Jermaine McGillvary over in the corner for his 20th try of the season.

But the winger was celebrating an even better effort moments later after collecting Cudjoe’s quick fire pass in his own 20 and then sprinting clear before beating Luke Dorn to touch down.

That was good, but the next was even better as Luke Robinson, Tai’ai, Wardle and Aaron Murphy combined wonderfully to send Jake Connor racing away for a magical effort.

That have the Giants their 10-point cushion, which became 14 two minutes before the break when the hosts worked the blindside for Wardle’s lovely cut-out pass to put Murphy over.

Like in the opening half, it was the Tigers who drew first blood when Dorn finished off in the corner within three minutes of the restart and Gale landed the touchline conversion to reduce the deficit to 24-16.

Jamie Ellis had an effort ruled out by video referee Ben Thaler after stepping offside to collect Brough’s grubber and then Craig Kopczak just failed to gather Cudjoe’s chip to touch down.

Ellis so nearly stepped through to end a nervous period of stalemate midway through the half.

See more pictures from the game below.

But the edginess increased dramatically moments later when Murphy knocked-on a high kick and the dangerous Roberts raced over from the subsequent scrum for another try that the Giants won’t want to see again in a hurry.

Fortunately, the Giants responded in the best possible fashion when Wardle wasted little time back in the centre charging over in the corner, with Ellis this time failing to add the extras.

At 28-20, Huddersfield did at least have a little breathing space.

And with eight minutes remaining hey could breathe even easier after former Tigers half-back just did enough to ground the ball by the posts, although he took several looked by the video referee before ruling in his favour.

To add to Ellis’s delight he banged over the conversion to take the lead up to 14.

But the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for Crabtree, who marked his 400th Giants appearance by crashing over in the 76th minute to help bring up the 40-point mark.

Castleford did have the final say when Denny Solomona raced away for a long-range effort, but they we still second best on the night and the Giants left themselves well placed.