By Guy Harvey

Leeds Rhinos Reserves Secure Grand Final Spot with Gritty Win at Castleford

Chev Walker’s reserves side made the short trip to Castleford knowing a win would guarantee them a home Grand Final. With a number of regulars stepping up into Brad Arthur’s first team, it looked a tough challenge, but Leeds dug deep to claim a hard-fought victory thanks to tries from Harley Thomas, Dylan Proud, Jack Sinfield and Zak Lloyd, plus a late drop goal from Sinfield.

The game began disastrously for the Rhinos as dummy-half Joe Diskin left the field early with a dislocated shoulder, forcing Thomas into action sooner than expected. Castleford capitalised shortly after, intercepting a pass on halfway and racing clear to score through loose forward Walker, with Beedle adding the extras.

Leeds responded midway through the first half when Thomas weaved across the Tigers’ defensive line before finding a gap to dive over. Sinfield converted to level the scores. Both sides struggled to build momentum due to handling errors, but Leeds briefly seized control. Sinfield’s looping pass evaded the defence and found winger Dylan Proud, who finished untouched in the corner untouched. Sinfield missed the kick, but Leeds led 10-4.

Errors and penalties continued to stifle the contest, and half-time arrived with neither side able to take command.

Leeds started the second half brightly, with Sinfield breaking from deep inside his own half. His attempted offload to Riley Lumb was knocked down by a Castleford defender, but the officials missed the touch. Moments later, Sinfield had his revenge by intercepting a Tigers pass and racing almost the full length of the field to score before converting his own try to make it 16-6.

Castleford hit back quickly, exploiting space on the blind side to score from halfway, though the conversion was missed. Soon after, they struck again, slicing through the middle to beat the full-back and score under the posts. This time the kick was successful, and the scores were level at 16-16.

Leeds regained the lead when Zak Lloyd spotted a defensive lapse, charging through a gap to crash over. Sinfield added the extras for a 22-16 advantage.

The final fifteen minutes were all about defence as Castleford piled on the pressure. Twice they were held up over the line, and another chance was lost when they were bundled into touch. Leeds’ resilience held firm, and Sinfield capped the win with a drop goal on the final whistle to seal a 23-16 victory and secure home advantage in the Grand Final.

Castleford Tigers Reserves

1.      Tylor Sharpe

2.      Alfie Lindsey

3.      Alfie Goddard

4.      Daniel Sabrah

5.      Andy Djeukessi

6.      Mitchell Beedle

7.      Corey Sharpe

8.      Isaac Shaw

9.      Alfie Horwell

10.  Hugo Salabio

11.  Bobby Hartley

12.  Sam Darley

13.  Woody Walker

14.  George Hill

15.  Leo Skerret Evans

16.  Akim Matvejev

17.  Harry Egley

18.  Alfie Salmon

Leeds Rhinos Reserves

1.      George Brown

2.      Dylan Proud

3.      Ned McCormack

4.      Max Simpson

5.      Riley Lumb

6.      Harry Smith

7.      Jack Sinfield

8.      Joe Butterfield

9.      Joe Diskin

10.  Dan Stelfox

11.  Oliver Smart

12.  Jacob Stead

13.  Zak Lloyd

14.  Dacx Jones-Buchanan

15.  Hughie Tinkler

16.  Oscar Brown

17.  Harley Thomas

18.  Shane Tuohey