Portly Dean Widders' 80m Interception Try Steals Victory for Castleford
Castleford beat Bradford Bulls 40-38 in an error-strewn contest that included 14 tries
It was perhaps fitting that such a strange game should be decided by an 80-meter interception try from a portly back rower playing out of position in the center. The fitness and condition of Dean Widders, Castleford's Australian, has been called into question almost from the moment he arrived in Yorkshire during the winter, but he found enough pace to hold off three chasing Bradford defenders and seal a gutsy win for his under-strength side.
Even after Widders' remarkable effort, the game would still have finished as a draw but for Paul Deacon's last-minute touchline conversion to Ben Jeffries' try drifting agonizingly wide. With the two teams sharing 14 tries on an afternoon that was high in entertainment if not quality, Deacon's miss proved crucial and may spell the end of the Bulls' play-off hopes.
It also meant that Widders could claim the vital contribution to a game that resembled touch rugby at times, such was the lack of defensive prowess.
"It's been a while since Dean has run that far," smiled the Castleford coach Terry Matterson, whose side benefitted from a sparkling display from the New Zealand halfback Rangi Chase. "He just did enough to get there. We had to find a way to win – we've been in a hell of a lot of close games this year and not found that. It was the most bizarre game I've ever been involved in."
The match moved out of Bradford's grasp when they conceded 22 unanswered points in 11 second-half minutes, and although they did claw the deficit back to draw level at 34-34, Terry Newton's wayward pass to Widders ultimately proved their undoing.
"Some people will think that was an entertaining game of rugby league, but for me it was a poor standard," the Bulls coach Steve McNamara said. "If both sides continue gifting opportunities to teams like that, they won't go too far."
The Bulls led 22–12 at half-time, despite conceding early tries to Chase and the excellent Michael Shenton. Bradford's equally outstanding David Halley created a try for Semi Tadulala and then scored himself, before the forwards Nick Scruton and Michael Worrincy crossed.
After the restart came the Tigers' 11-minute blitz, as tries from Jordan Thompson, Shenton, Chase and Joe Westerman put them 34-22 ahead. Then back came the Bulls, with converted efforts from Sam Burgess and Jeffries temporarily leveling the scores.
That was when Widders stepped forward with his unlikely interception, beating the despairing trio of Newton, Scruton and Tadulala. Even then, though, the Tigers seemed willing to toss victory away, allowing Halley and Jeffries to combine for a 90-metre score, only for Deacon to pull his last-gasp conversion just wide.
Bradford: Halley; Sheriffe, Sykes, Nero, Tadulala; Jeffries, Deacon; Lynch, Newton, Scruton, Burgess, Menzies, Langley. Interchange: Worrincy, Godwin, Donaldson, Kopczak
Castleford Owen; Thompson, Widders, Shenton, Wainwright; McGoldrick, Chase; Sargent, Jones, Higgins, Huby, Ferres, Westerman. Interchange: Boyle, Feather, Clayton, Netherton
Referee B Thaler (Wakefield)
Even after Widders' remarkable effort, the game would still have finished as a draw but for Paul Deacon's last-minute touchline conversion to Ben Jeffries' try drifting agonizingly wide. With the two teams sharing 14 tries on an afternoon that was high in entertainment if not quality, Deacon's miss proved crucial and may spell the end of the Bulls' play-off hopes.
It also meant that Widders could claim the vital contribution to a game that resembled touch rugby at times, such was the lack of defensive prowess.
"It's been a while since Dean has run that far," smiled the Castleford coach Terry Matterson, whose side benefitted from a sparkling display from the New Zealand halfback Rangi Chase. "He just did enough to get there. We had to find a way to win – we've been in a hell of a lot of close games this year and not found that. It was the most bizarre game I've ever been involved in."
The match moved out of Bradford's grasp when they conceded 22 unanswered points in 11 second-half minutes, and although they did claw the deficit back to draw level at 34-34, Terry Newton's wayward pass to Widders ultimately proved their undoing.
"Some people will think that was an entertaining game of rugby league, but for me it was a poor standard," the Bulls coach Steve McNamara said. "If both sides continue gifting opportunities to teams like that, they won't go too far."
The Bulls led 22–12 at half-time, despite conceding early tries to Chase and the excellent Michael Shenton. Bradford's equally outstanding David Halley created a try for Semi Tadulala and then scored himself, before the forwards Nick Scruton and Michael Worrincy crossed.
After the restart came the Tigers' 11-minute blitz, as tries from Jordan Thompson, Shenton, Chase and Joe Westerman put them 34-22 ahead. Then back came the Bulls, with converted efforts from Sam Burgess and Jeffries temporarily leveling the scores.
That was when Widders stepped forward with his unlikely interception, beating the despairing trio of Newton, Scruton and Tadulala. Even then, though, the Tigers seemed willing to toss victory away, allowing Halley and Jeffries to combine for a 90-metre score, only for Deacon to pull his last-gasp conversion just wide.
Bradford: Halley; Sheriffe, Sykes, Nero, Tadulala; Jeffries, Deacon; Lynch, Newton, Scruton, Burgess, Menzies, Langley. Interchange: Worrincy, Godwin, Donaldson, Kopczak
Castleford Owen; Thompson, Widders, Shenton, Wainwright; McGoldrick, Chase; Sargent, Jones, Higgins, Huby, Ferres, Westerman. Interchange: Boyle, Feather, Clayton, Netherton
Referee B Thaler (Wakefield)
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