O’BRIEN STUNS ROBINS AGAIN!
ANDREW STEEL
HULL KINGSTON ROVERS 32
CASTLEFORD TIGERS 33
Hull College Craven Park, Friday
Gareth O’Brien kicks Castleford to a thrilling victory
GARETH O’BRIEN returned to the scene of the most famous moment in his career to orchestrate another great escape for the history books, as Castleford Tigers edged Hull Kingston Rovers out in a fouract golden point thriller in the opening game of the Challenge Cup third round.
It was here that the former Salford man condemned the Robins to relegation in the Million Pound Game over four years ago with a field-goal in sudden death and he reared his head once more to haunt them like a maverick poltergeist again in the ninety-ninth minute of an exhausting encounter.
Yet Castleford’s Houdini-esque encounter ran far deeper than simply the boot of one man, encompassing a remarkable turnaround steered by the steel-capped guile of Paul McShane and powered by a herculean effort of team resilience to rise not once but twice from an apparent knockout hit in a twelve-try contest.