Castleford-Leigh talking points as controversy reigns supreme and the Tigers’ huge issue

Leigh Leopards continued their push towards the Super League play-offs with a hard-earned win against Castleford Tigers – but it did not come without controversy.

Adam Cook’s late try ultimately proved decisive in killing off the Tigers’ challenge, as they fell short of making it three wins in succession.

Here are the talking points – starting with that aforementioned controversy..

A controversial moment

The first controversial moment came when the Tigers were well on top. Leading 8-0, it looked highly likely that advantage was going to get extended further when Jason Qareqare broke downfield.

However, Daejarn Asi was adjudged to have caused an obstruction pulling the play back, and on the resulting attacking set for Leigh, they scored the first of their 18 unanswered points.

It was a huge moment – and it wasn’t the last of them, either..

And another

The other big moment that swung the momentum Leigh’s way came at the start of the second half – and it was another big call.

Makeshift Leigh centre Jack Hughes appeared to drop his forearm into the face of Krystian Mapapalangi, but it was overlooked by the match officials.

Within two minutes, none other than Hughes had crossed the whitewash for a try that made it 18-8 and further put the Leopards in control. It was, simply put, another huge moment.

Adam Cook growing into it

It was a slow start for Adam Cook – and that is perhaps being polite.

But now 13 games into his Super League career, the half-back is starting to show exactly why Leigh brought him to Super League. This was another accomplished display from Cook, capped off with a try that ultimately proved to be crucial in quelling Castleford’s growing momentum when the gap was just four points.

He and Lachlan Lam are forming a tidy pairing as reach the midway point of 2026.

Castleford need a premiere half

Just as there has been all season, there were flashes from Daejarn Asi and Tom Weaver – but just not often enough or consistently enough.

Asi gets caught too often in possession and isn’t playing deep enough and Weaver, who was signed as Castleford’s controlling half, simply isn’t giving them enough in crucial moments.

The Tigers have proven they can attract top tier talent with the presence of Krystian Mapapalangi. They desperately need a half of that calibre – and they would really start to look up the table.