Danny McGuire laments "soft" Castleford Tigers as St Helens run riot
During his glorious playing career, Danny McGuire was synonymous with success after helping Leeds Rhinos to eight Super League titles and plenty more beside.
The lad from East End Park was a master of his craft, famed for his competitiveness, desire and refusal to accept defeat.
After this abject surrender for his Castleford Tigers side, though, the enormity of the challenge facing McGuire the head coach became alarmingly clear.
It is now three straight losses since his reign began and the 42-year-old looked genuinely hurt as he sifted through the wreckage of a nine-try hammering.
McGuire could take plenty of encouragement when his men lost narrowly at Hull Kingston Rovers in their Super League opener; performance-wise it was a riposte to the Challenge Cup exit at Bradford Bulls.
But after the Tigers were comprehensively outclassed by St Helens on Saturday night, the legendary former half-back’s assessment was damning.
“We’ve gone backwards again and I’m angry – the players are angry and disappointed,” said McGuire.
“As a team we need to be at eight or nine out of ten to be able to compete with Saints.
“We can’t have players playing at four or five out of ten because it just doesn’t do the job for us with where our squad is at the moment.
“When you have two or three players who are not quite at it then it affects everyone else.
“We had more than two or three players who weren’t at it, by the way.
“I can take losing – not very well, but I can take it if you’re scrapping and fighting.
“But some of their tries were walk-ins and that’s not good enough.”
Beforehand, Castleford supporters headed down Wheldon Road in optimistic mood for the first home game of the season.
The sold-out signs in corporate hospitality were up and improvements around the rickety old ground were clear to see.
But as McGuire admitted: “We’ve got to get it right on the field otherwise we’re just wasting our time.
“There are some really good things happening and a vision to try and create a place that we’re proud of.
“But the on-field product is everything – everything else is secondary.”
St Helens, of course, are a class act and a team who won four successive Grand Finals not so long ago appear ripe for a major revival this season.
Inside the opening 10 minutes, Saints purred ominously as neat handling sent Joe Batchelor over inside the right channel before Kyle Feldt dived over for a second in the corner.
Four minutes later, they had their third when Jon Bennison’s delightful kick down the left flank was grounded by Jonny Lomax.
It looked like being a cricket score at that point but Castleford, bolstered by the introduction of Papua New Guinea prop Sylvester Namo off the bench, steadied themselves. Initially at least.
Namo produced some big hits and scored from close range in the 28th minute with Tex Hoy converting to cut Saints’ lead to eight points.
But Paul Wellens’ men ran in six second-half tries to brutally illustrate the gulf in class between the sides.
Agnatius Paasi barged over before 19-year-old Harry Robertson, who enjoyed a fine game at right centre, scored his first to cap another outstanding move.
Alex Walmsley then went over after more deft handling before Robertson grabbed his second after collecting a superb offload from Jack Welsby.
Welsby was imperious and scored a deserved, clinically-executed try himself in the 75th minute before Bennison completed the rout in the last minute, while centre Mark Percival kicked five goals.
McGuire conceded: “Saints dominated us physically. They were just too big and strong for us and their key players came into the game on the back of that.
“Welsby, Lomax and (Tristan) Sailor were having that much fun they would have played for three hours, which is worrying and a bit tough for us to take.
“We didn’t really take anything out there tonight that we had practised in the week.
“I thought we had a period of five to 10 minutes when we were okay – the rest of it we were soft.”
And next up for McGuire and his Tigers?
Only a trip to Headingley to face old adversaries Leeds on Sunday.
McGuire added: “There should have been energy, passion and desire today with it being our first home game and such a good crowd.
“But we just didn’t really get that and I’m worried that, if we didn’t get it here, can we find it at Headingley? I hope we can.”
Castleford Tigers: Rooney; Kershaw, Cini, Wood, I Senior; Asi, Hoy; Lawler, Rimbu, Westerman, Simbiken, Mellor, Horne. Substitutes: Griffin, Hodson, Mustapha, Namo.
St Helens: Welsby; Feldt, Robertson, Percival, Bennison; Sailor, Lomax; Walmsley, Clark, Lees, Sironen, Batchelor, Knowles. Substitutes: Whitley, Passi, Wingfield, Delaney.
Referee: T Grant.