Forward, Snitch, a close-season signing from neighbours Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, played a key role in Tigers' amazing 24-10 derby victory over the champions at Headingley Carnegie last Friday.

Not many outside the Jungle gave Cas a prayer, but Snitch said those inside the camp approached the game with a completely different mindset.

Snitch said: "We thought we could win and that we had it in us. It was a tough first half as Leeds about a 90 per cent completion rate on their sets and that kept us pinned back.

"But in the second half we started to get on top and in the last 20 they got frustrated and threw the ball around a bit.

"We stayed patient and kept our nerve. Ryan (Hudson) got through some big minutes at hooker. Rangi (Chase) and Brent (Sherwin) showed some quality too. It helped us force some back-to-back goalline drop-outs and that takes it out of any team.

"It was a good win but there are a fair few things we can improve on still."

Snitch was one of the players singled out by coach Terry Matterson after the game as having had a key influence on the win, doing it in a role he was not used to playing.

"I have been playing on the left side in friendlies, but Brett Ferres has come back and he prefers it down there, so I went on the right. I have no problem with that, just as long as I am playing, really."

Snitch seemed to be everywhere on Friday night in both attack and defence and the former Huddersfield Giants man just missed out on a debut try when he was held up inches short of the line.

He said: "I did not get over, but I went close. I seemed to get through a lot of work and was pretty tired afterwards and the pitch was heavily sanded too which made all the lads scream like girls in the showers afterwards, me included, because of the little cuts on our legs. But it was all worth it!"

The 26-year-old second-rower made the short move to the Jungle from Wakefield at the end of last season, one of two close season signings by Matterson along with another former Wakefield and Huddersfield man, prop Paul Jackson.

And he is pleased with how things are going having penned a three-year deal with the Tigers.

"I was on a one-year deal at Wakefield, but a few things happened there which made me want to come to Cas.

"I have been made to feel very welcome here, the boys are really good and I enjoy training and working with Terry (Matterson) and Andy (Hay).

"We have just got to kick on from here now, though. There is no point in winning at Leeds and then going out and losing the games we really should be winning.

It is only the first round for us and there is a long way to go."

Warrington Wolves – tipped by some to have the best chance of ending the recent Leeds and St Helens' dominance of the competition – are next up for the Tigers and arrive in Castleford on the back of a 56-0 opening round victory over Harlequins.

"It is another tough one," Snitch admitted. "They have made some new signings and I am sure like the rest of us they have been working hard in the close season. We will probably watch a video of them in the week and then give it a good crack."

Snitch also hailed the support of the noisy Cas fans which he said helped drag them over the line at Headingley.

"It means a lot to them for us to beat Leeds, especially at Headingley, and even though they were outnumbered you could still hear them over the Rhinos fans which was great for us."