Why Castleford Tigers chief will not interfere with play again

Caught: Castleford Tigers' Greg Eden is tackled by St Helens' Theo Fages. Picture: Nigel French/PA

Friday’s televised game at Wheldon Road was held up as the frustrated head coach made his way across the pitch with his side waiting to restart after falling 18-0 behind in the 33rd minute.

Woeful Castleford went on to suffer badly at the hands of imperious leader Saints, losing 42-12, and Powell explained: “I was just having a quick word with (winger) Greg (Eden). But I just wanted to get to the other side and try and organise things for half-time.

“I stopped the game, though, didn’t I so I didn’t quite make it!

“It’s just disappointing; your team’s getting belted and there’s no way down and around from there (gantry to dugout) so it’s hard work.

“We need a zipwire to get down and across the field.

“It’s a disappointing night. I won’t do that again.”

Winger Eden endured a particularly poor game, making glaring errors that led to three of Saints’ opening five tries, and he was eventually hauled off in the 49th minute, replaced by James Clare.

Ironically, fellow winger Clare was substituted at half-time after a defensive nightmare at Warrington a fortnight earlier.

“Look, Greg does things at 100 miles per hour and sometimes that doesn’t give you time to think,” said Powell, the prolific 28-year-old crucially rushing one wayward pass and also spilling as he set off on a kick-return.

“I think some of his decision-making didn’t have a lot of thought about it.

“It was a tough one for him. But every player has them.

“He has got to come back from that and we know there’s an outstanding player there.

“He’s shown that time after time so it was a poor game from him but he wasn’t on his own.”

The exciting former Hull KR and Huddersifeld Giants wideman has been known to have random erratic games during his career but, to his credit, had largely erased them since moving to Tigers from Brisbane Broncos ahead of the 2017 campaign.

He will quickly have chance to atone; Castleford – who suffered just a second defeat – head to bottom-placed derby rivals Leeds Rhinos for another televised game on Thursday night.