DANNY McGUIRE said he was “alright” with Castleford Tigers’ derby defeat because of the effort his players showed.
Castleford let a twelve-point lead slip to lose 13-12 away at Wakefield Trinity.
While gutted by the final outcome – and vowing to learn the lessons – coach McGuire said he could accept the performance as the Tigers defied their form – now one Super League win from eight this season – to push their rivals all the way.
“I’m obviously disappointed we didn’t get the result, but I’m really proud of the performance, especially in the first half,” said McGuire.
“We were disciplined, we were clinical, we had a good attitude. Everything we’ve been speaking about trying to work on, we put into practice.
“In that second half they (Wakefield) had momentum and territory, and we battled and stuck in there and it was ugly at times.
“We didn’t get the result, so it’s really hard for me to say this because I hate losing and this game is all about winning.
“I’m going to go against everything my brain is telling me – I’m alright with it. Because of the passion that we showed, the commitment that we showed, and some of the skill that we showed.
“There’s still lots to work on and improve but we’ll learn lessons and be better for it.”
McGuire admitted that Wakefield’s class showed towards the end as his side tired.
“I think we were the better team for the majority of the game,” he said.
“We’ve got to give Wakefield credit as well, they showed character. (Coach) Daryl Powell has got them fighting and working hard for each other and they’ve got some good players.
“(Mason) Lino is an experienced player and our halfbacks are a bit younger and getting there.”
The challenge now is to replicate that effort and fire up their season, with a key run of games coming up against Huddersfield Giants next weekend, Wakefield again at Magic Weekend, then Salford Red Devils the round after that.
McGuire added: “We’ve had some really good moments this year where we’ve looked a good team with the ball or defensively.
“We just need to do it consistently. We need to do it next week and we need to do it the week after.
“They worked hard tonight. They didn’t get the result so there’s a few upset people in there and it will take a few days to get over it, but we can be happy. There’s lots we can learn from.”
