Super League talking points: Huddersfield Giants primed for Grand Final assault, injuries hit Hull clubs hard, video referee controversy

The Giants are up to third with the help of Castleford Tigers after Lee Radford's side claimed a dramatic golden-point victory over Catalans Dragons.

It was a miserable weekend for the other Yorkshire clubs with Rovers, Leeds Rhinos and Wakefield Trinity all suffering chastening defeats.

Hull FC, meanwhile, were nilled in only the second tryless game in Super League history.

Here, The Yorkshire Post takes a look at the talking points in the wake of round 16.

Steely-eyed Giants primed for Grand Final assault

When Tui Lolohea sent the kick-off out on the full and Hull KR opened the scoring inside 90 seconds, it felt as if a rare off day for Huddersfield was on the cards.

But the Giants saw off KR's early blitz and were at their clinical best in the second half on their way to another hugely impressive win.

Even the loss of Ricky Leutele to a knee injury is unlikely to derail a Huddersfield team already without Theo Fages and Chris Hill.

Ian Watson has instilled a 'next man up' mentality that has given the Giants the belief that they can not only reach a first Grand Final but win it.

Injuries hit Hull clubs hard

While Huddersfield have a system and game plan to cope in the absence of some key men, the same cannot be said of the two Hull clubs.

Injuries to Luke Gale and Adam Swift certainly didn't help at Warrington Wolves but Hull FC look lost in opposition territory without Jake Connor, while Carlos Tuimavave is a big miss on the right edge.

Already missing the likes of Jordan Abdull and Kane Linnett, Hull KR never looked like recovering from the early loss of George King and Ryan Hall - two of their biggest ball carriers.

Both clubs remain well placed in the play-off battle but have yet to convince that they are title contenders.

Tigers make their move

With the top four set in stone barring an unexpected collapse from one of those leading teams, only two play-off spots are up for grabs in the final 11 rounds.

Inconsistency has plagued the sides chasing those places but the Tigers are threatening to make a decisive move in the play-off race.

While consecutive wins over Toulouse Olympique and Catalans won't define Castleford's season, the manner of the results will buoy Radford heading into the home straight.

The Tigers produced gutsy performances in both games, something Radford demanded in the wake of a tame defeat by Wigan Warriors.

Wakefield live out worst nightmare

In the build-up to Trinity's game at Salford Red Devils, Willie Poching spoke about a potential play-off push after claiming back-to-back wins on home soil.

But after watching his team suffer a humiliating 74-10 defeat, the Wakefield head coach may have to rethink his end-of-season goals.

There was no sign of the chaos to come when James Batchelor put Trinity ahead but Poching's side folded in worrying fashion as Salford scored 11 tries in the space of 48 minutes.

Wakefield are likely to achieve their main objective but simply staying afloat in Super League cannot be the club's long-term aim.

Video referee threatens to take joy out of game

Officials will never get every decision right and most level-headed fans don't expect them to - but there is understandable frustration when the video referee takes centre stage.

Logic dictated that St Helens winger Regan Grace lost the ball in the act of scoring against Leeds yet the on-field decision stood, while Hull KR forward Frankie Halton had a try ruled out that looked good to the naked eye.

Halton's try would have been awarded in a non-televised game but the presence of the video referee allows a degree of scrutiny that isn't required; apply the rules so stringently across every match and rugby league would fall into the same kind of trap that sent football down a rabbit hole with VAR and offsides.

Like most sports, the review system should only be used for howlers - whether that is through one or two team challenges, or something else - and not marginal decisions that take time and joy out of the game.