Wakefield Trinity 36 Castleford Tigers 32: Kay wrecks Chase’s farewell as Wildcats winger grabs late try

There was a sense of the inevitable yesterday as Castleford Tigers worked their way downfield with just seconds left on the clock.

The scores were locked at 32-32 and the enigmatic Rangi Chase, playing his final game for the club he has so enriched before his move to Salford CIty Reds, was loitering with intent.

Admittedly, Ali Lauitiiti may have threatened the England half-back’s hopes of a winning finish having scored a typically powerful late try to square things up.

But surely Chase – as so often in the past – would now deliver the coup de grace and send his Castleford faithful home in ecstasy?

However, it did not quite work out that way. In fairness, the 2011 Man of Steel did not really desire the ball in that position near halfway, being too far out for a decent attempt at a drop-goal.

But his team-mates seemed to want to give him his moment – or maybe it just shows they have relied too heavily on him in the past – and he was put in that awkward situation of having to try to run instead to conjure something out of nothing.

In the end, the 27-year-old was pressured into sliding a desperate kick through but it only ricocheted off Lauitiiti who then, almost in one flowing movement, picked up and delivered a perfectly-timed pass to put young winger Kay speeding towards the Castleford line.

Elated Wakefield fans behind those posts could not believe their luck yet, in all honesty, they certainly deserve some, don’t they?

After a fortnight of uncertainty and deep financial worry, it was the perfect way to end the season for cash-strapped Trinity as they put all their off-field concerns to one side to celebrate a win that leapfrogs them above their great derby rivals.

And for Kay, playing only his fourth Super League game having spent most of this season on loan at part-timers Doncaster, it was fairytale stuff as the 21-year-old utility back completed his unlikely treble.

But spare a thought for another young winger who scored his first senior hat-trick.

Castleford’s James Clare, in fact, not only did that but managed to do so in the first 32 minutes of a typical end-of-season game and then went on to score a fourth only to end up losing.

The 22-year-old has only featured fleetingly this term but came in for injured top scorer Justin Carney yesterday and showed plenty of finishing class.

His first was a stunning 100m effort which came as early as the fourth minute.

In-demand Wakefield prop Kyle Amor lost possession striving for the Castleford goalline for Nathan Massey and Chase to quickly shift the loose ball to the left where Clare accelerated away.

His second arrived from closer in when he stopped to pick up a bouncing Chase pass and beat Peter Fox to the corner.

Only 17 minutes had passed but Fox was then hauled off by Wakefield coach Richard Agar having already dropped a pass near his own line to gift Chase a try.

Clare completed his treble after Jamie Ellis’s smart 40/20 saw Jordan Tansey bemuse more static Wakefield defence from the scrum and then he came up with a classic chip-and-chase in the 63rd minute which looked like being the defining score.

However, as has often been their problem, Castleford could not hold their advantage.

The hosts led 24-20 at the break after Kyle Trout surged through off Richard Mathers’s pass.

Trinity second-row Frankie Mariano, playing his last game before moving to Castleford, showed what the visiting fans can expect next term with two more tries.

After Castleford had gone 10-0 up, he latched onto a terrific Paul Aiton offload and later got his 
second after a similar quality assist from the ever-watchable 
Lauitiiti.

Clare responded but Wakefield kept in touch with Kay’s first after Ben Cockayne had set up position with a brilliant 80m kick return, Daryl Clark finally dragging down Lee Smith but not being able to prevent the youngster going over at the next play.

Cockayne and Weller Haurakai were sin-binned for fighting on the half-hour before Kay extended that interval lead with a sharp finish in the 48th minute after more slick handling from Cockayne, Lauitiiti and Mariano.

Castleford regained the lead with two quickfire tries, first, Hauraki forcing his way over and then Clare getting that fourth after Dixon had flicked on Tansey’s long pass. That should have seen Daryl Powell’s Castleford side home but they gifted Wakefield another chance.

Lautiiiti, who had been a handful all afternoon, had no right to score from dummy-half but he showed all his strength and power to carry four players over the line with him.

Smith hit the post to leave it level but then came that dramatic final play as Wakefield won for the first time in seven games.

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Wakefield Trinity Wildcats: Mathers; Fox, Collis, Mariano, Kay; Cockayne, Wildie; Poore, Aiton, Amor, Kirmond, Walshaw, Trout. Substitutes: Lauitiiti, Smith, Wilkes, Raleigh.

Castleford Tigers: Tansey; Owen, Channing, Dixon, Clare; Chase, Ellis, Boyle, Milner, Huby, Massey, Hauraki, Clark. Substitutes: Thompson, Fleming, Martin, Reynolds.

Referee: R Hicks (Oldham).

Wakefield now could sell five more players

WAKEFIELD Trinity Wildcats coach Richard Agar admits he might have to sell up to five players from the cash-strapped club but captain Danny Kirmond is “untouchable”, writes Dave Craven.

They put their financial strife to one side yesterday to produce a stunning 36-32 victory against Castleford Tigers.

Rookie Liam Kay completed his hat-trick to win it with the final play of the game which saw Trinity leap above their derby rivals to finish the season in 11th.

Agar praised the 21-year-old’s finishing in only his fourth Super League match but, of course, all questions quickly turned to Wakefield’s dire financial situation.

Tim Smith has already been sold to Salford City Reds and new chairman Michael Carter says the club needs to find £400,000 imminently.

The vultures are circling for Kirmond and players like Kyle Amor, Paul Aiton and Ben Cockayne.

But Agar said: “I think we’ll manage to keep a core of them. The money and budget we’ve got to spend we’re pretty much up to that with 16 players on.

“That has to be turned in to 23 or 24 and there’s some important bills that need paying. Maybe we’ll sell another player, if not two but it could be three, four or five.

“It’s hard to say and we might have to get two in for one. There’s a lot of different plate spinning and for those familiar with it, we may have to play a little bit of Moneyball.

“I think he (Kirmond) is the untouchable one, if I’m honest.

“He’s signed a good three-year deal and the chairman has made it pretty clear he wants him leading out at the new stadium.

“There are others like Paul Aiton, Dean Collis and Ali Lauitiiti too.

“We desperately want to keep hold of Ali. I thought he was brilliant. He produced a great try, came up with a couple of great pieces of skill and it was quite apt at the end that he charged down Rangi Chase’s kick to put Liam over.”

Castleford coach Daryl Powell said: “We could have finished ninth and we’ve ended up 12th.

“It is a little bit of a bitter-sweet finish but I just said to the players it’s been a pleasure over the last 13 games.

“The young guys did themselves and the club proud. I’ve been really pleased with the second half of the season since I’ve been involved; we’ve got to build on that now.”