Orr keeps Castleford's play-off hopes alive

Warrington 12 Castleford 24

Castleford's captain Danny Orr produced enough touches of quality amid this otherwise dismal offering to keep Warrington deep in relegation trouble and sustain his own club's slim hopes of a play-off place.

If the Tigers had taken advantage of all Orr's probings, they would have been out of sight in the first half. As it was, he supplied the pass for their first three tries in a reminder that he is a player of international potential.

"When Danny's on form we are a threat. There was more responsibility on him today with Mitch Healey suspended and I told him I needed him to take more responsibility," said his coach, Graham Steadman, who described the match as: "One of the worst I've witnessed as a coach."

Warrington began the match as they have ended their last two – with no cohesion in attack and little commitment and composure in defence.

They began to pay the price after four minutes when Wayne Bartrim and Orr handled crisply to send in the former Warrington centre Michael Eagar.

Lee Briers made matters worse by kicking straight out from the restart giving Bartrim, who had already landed the conversion, a penalty as well.

Castleford, although a long way from their best, could have had a couple more tries before Orr ran from the base of the scrum and threw a long pass to release Waine Pryce.

Warrington gained a brief respite when Briers kicked a penalty, but the try that brought them back into closer contention than they deserved was a freak affair immediately before half time.

There was no great danger from Nathan Wood's low kick, but Darren Rogers not only allowed himself to be shunted over his try line by Dave Alstead's tackle but also lost the ball. Wood pounced gleefully and Briers' second goal left them a mere six points in arrears.

Warrington drew mild encouragement from that gift and Wood had a try disallowed which could have brought them level. All the time, however, Castleford looked capable of scoring at the other end, if they could only do the basics tidily.

Predictably, it was Orr who showed the way with a change of pace and a decisive pass that sent Andy Johnson through some weak tackling.

Briers at last showed signs of asserting a comparable influence when his sleight of hand opened the gap for a try that put the Wolves back in it, but he spoiled the effect by missing a simple conversion.

That left Castleford with the cushion of a converted try and, after Orr had missed a dropped goal, Wayne Godwin went over in the last minute from close range to make sure of the points.

"I can't disguise my disappointment because Castleford were there for the taking," said Warrington's assistant coach, Paul Darbyshire.

Warrington: Penny; Smyth, Westwood; Alstead, Mathers, Briers, N Wood; Laughton, Clarke, Hilton, P Wood, Marquet, Burns. Substitutes: Fozzard, Busby, Appo, Noone.

Castleford: Rogers; Wells, Mather; Eagar, Pryce, Orr, Hudson; Sykes, Bartrim, Lynch, Fritz, Warren, Harland. Substitutes: Johnson, Godwin, Smith, Rainey.

Referee: I Smith (Oldham).