Tigers must prove they are not one-man side – Donlan

Castleford Tigers must stop relying on the mercurial talent of Rangi Chase after they crashed to a heavy defeat against London Broncos.

That’s the view of the Tigers assistant coach Stuart Donlan after the half-back partnership of Craig Gower and Michael Witt inspired the Broncos romp to a 42-16 win.

The Australian pair pulled all the strings as the Londoners eased to their first win of the season and Powell insists things have to improve to show they are not just a one-man team.

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“We relied too much on Rangi Chase and it is tough on one man to carry a team like that,” said Donlan.

“There are 13 men out there and they need to do their bit.

“We were poor at best today and we have a lot of work to do before we play again.”

Donlan also claimed too many Castleford players let their heads drop after the break and allowed the Broncos to dictate the play.

He said: “I think in the second half too many of our players started to feel sorry for themselves.”

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The Tigers had singled out Gower and Witt as the two players they needed to watch if they were to have a chance of taking something out of the game.

He added: “We spoke all week about Witt and Gower and their abilities and they kept coming straight through us.”

For the Tigers it was a fifth defeat in six as they struggle to get their own season up and running.

There was a recall for prop Jonathan Walker as they aimed to bounce back from last weekend’s loss to Leeds.

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But it was the Broncos who burst out of the blocks and scored two tries in the opening 10 minutes, with David Howell and Chris Bailey touching down. But in a see-saw first half the Tigers responded with a brace of their own, Nick Youngquest and Kirk Dixon crossing for scores.

London seized the initiative before the break as both Matt Cook and Gower added tries.

And, despite Ryan McGoldrick crossing for the visitors shortly after the break, the Londoners were not to be denied.

First Sarginson muscled his way over, before late scores from Jason Golden, Chris Melling and Howell sealed a deserved win.

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London coach Rob Powell said: “We have talked about what these guys are capable of and today they put it into practice.

“I thought Witt had a really good game – he has been struggling for confidence a bit but today he was the player we know he can be.

“It has been a testing time for us and the confidence has been knocked. But with players like Witt, Gower and Dan Sarginson we know we have the offensive flair. Today was a massive win for us – we know we have been playing better than our record suggests but this gets us moving.”

London Broncos: Dorn, Robertson, Howell, Sarginson, Colbon, Witt, Gower, Kaufusi, Randall, Clubb, Cook, Golden, Bailey. Substitutes: Bryant, Rinaldi, Temata, Melling.

Castleford: Owen, Youngquest, Dixon, McGoldrick, Griffin, Chase, Orr, Emmitt, Milner, Millington, Mitchell, Holmes, Jones. Substitutes: Clark, Walker, Snitch, Massey.

Referee: P Bentham (Warrington).