Where this Cas were the better team thing has come from I assume is just clutching at straws mixed with a hatred of Leeds because, yet again, we have been successful. On another day we could have scored 4 or 5 tries and aside from the individual brilliance of Chase, Castleford never really threatened our line.

Do you think the chap in black and white is heading to the Keepmoat to push over the posts like the Cods did last time they felt aggrieved about a Challenge Cup game

Very lucky today Leeds, best team lost, and thats from a Wakey fan.

An average game that could of gone either way. It was a no thrills arm wrestle and was all about who had the better stamina going into the last quarter of the match.

As for this 'cheating' nonsense.....well I find that hard to believe as the officials seemed to be on top of things and that has to be the most active touch judge Ive seen for a long time. What exactly are we being accused of? forward passing? head high challenges? knock ons? (all called by the ref) or is Leeds winning known as cheating these days? - Ill have a scout through the Oxford English dictionary to see if they have changed it in there......

I love this one

McGoldrick slap him across the face after being stepped (not malicious but careless)

And is "Bull Mania" really trying to suggest that having stepped the last man Danny McGuire chose to take a dive to win a penalty out near the touchline rather than running in to score a golden point try

you are of course welcome to visit the City of Leeds any time we dont wish you any harm.our fathers and uncles didnt dodge ww11 on the pretext that they were needed to dig up coal

Agree 100%. Cas did very well to still be in contention in the first half. Combination of desperate defence and Leeds lack of clinical finishing. Aside from that great try from Chase, I didn't feel cas threatened the line, except maybe for Orr running in quicksand in the last few moments. The penalty on MacGuire is given every day of the week - no malice, he just got done by some good footwork. No praise for sinfield from these cheat accusers? His class and Chase's lack of composure bang in front of the sticks was the difference in the end. Great effort by Cas. Plucky and determined, yes. Better rugby performance? Debatable.

Better get used to it tho. Wigan fans love accusing us of cheating. Can't wait. Flying in from Melbourne for it.

I won't be flying back from Brisbane for it. We need to improve enormously to have a chance in the Final.

Unless I missed the bit where McGuire still had hold of the ball I doubt the try would have been awarded to the 'Scourge of Castleford' although with Bentham in charge you never know*.

* Not my view, I thought he had a top game and now deserves the final over Silverwood, if it's a choice between those two.

__________

Castleford were the better side for all of the opening 10 minutes of the second half and ..... well there is no 'and' really. Well done Leeds for not turning your superiority (which was fairly evident for all to see) into points and keeping everyone on the edge of their seats.

Oh and can someone please explain to coach McDermott how to read the league table before the season ends.

Didn't notice that he lost the ball





Well he did say a couple of weeks ago that he wasn't looking at the table



I liked his neighbours answer though.

Bloody hell. It's only a game.

Bit disappointed with Mattersons post match comments - didn't have him as a sore loser. As already mentioned, it was only down to Leeds' poor finishing that we weren't out of sight by half time (never mind full time). Cas once again proved that you can have all the guts & determination you want, but that alone doesn't win you big games - you need a bit of quality too. Rangi Chase aside Cas offered no threat in attack. It was a tough way to lose, but Chase really should have nailed that drop goal.

In the end it was a correct call by the ref - certainly consistent with other similar calls during the game. Even if it wasn't a high tackle (which it was), it was a 2 on 1 ball steal which would have resulted in a penalty anyway. Not a pretty win, but a win none the less. Can't see us offering too much to concern Wigan, but we always seem to perform better as underdogs. One thing this season has shown us is to expect the unexpected!

What did he say?

Taken from Sky Sports:

Castleford coach Terry Matterson believes his side deserved to reach Wembley after Leeds cruelly denied them a place in this year's Carnegie Challenge Cup final with a golden-point winner.

The Tigers looked to be on course to reach the showpiece event for the first time in 19 years when they led 8-2 with just nine minutes to play.

However the Rhinos hit back to level matters at the end of 80 minutes, Kallum Watkins crossing for a late try that Kevin Sinfield converted.

The England international then booted over a penalty at the start of golden-point extra time, setting up his side for a clash with Wigan in the capital.

Matterson , who is leaving Castleford at the end of the season, criticised referee Phil Bentham's decision to punish Ryan McGoldrick for a high tackle on Danny McGuire, admitting it was a "pretty cruel" way to lose.

"We deserved to be there," he said. "It hurts. I think it will be my last opportunity and that hurts as well.

"To have it taken away like that is pretty cruel. The number of times we were hit high and they weren't penalised, and the one at the end was across his shoulder.

"We're up against it enough. Big teams seem to get the roll of the dice. Maybe one day I'll be with a big team and I'll know how it feels."

Taken from BBC sport:

In contrast, Tigers boss Terry Matterson was disappointed with the call, but was quick to praise his players for their efforts in a dramatic tie. "I saw the replay and he hit him on the shoulder," said Matterson. We probably deserve to be at Wembley but it's not always the team that deserves it that gets there. "We had six or seven high shots on us today, I think one got called, and to miss out on the dream because of a poor decision doesn't feel right. However I couldn't ask any more of the boys, they were wonderful. I can't be any prouder. We probably deserve to be at Wembley but it's not always the team that deserves it that gets there."

Translation:

Indeed.

The team that deserves to get there is the team that converts 2 difficult kicks into points, not the team who can't convert a drop goal from in front of the posts

Pause sky+, his forearm/hand is in his neck. Also if the roles were reversed, to matterson it would then be a high tackle, embarrassing for him.

There was no cheating going on at all by neither team!! the best team won, well done leeds,

BTW, can anyone recall a high tackle from Leeds that rivaled the one on Danny Mags? According to Cas fans we got away with a few. I honestly can't recall any that were as blatant as the decisive one.

Embarrissing

The only one I remember is a similar tackle by Danny Mags, which was rightly penalised. Thought the ref had a good game to be fair, and touch judge Hicks certainly enjoyed being on telly!

My son will be

I missed all these alleged Leeds high tackles, and TV replays haven't yielded any either. The one on McGuire at the end was a high tackle and a penalty every day of the week. No malice in it, just looked a tired effort to me.

I felt for Cas, as their effort in defence was tremendous. However, I wouldn't say they were the better side. The better opportunities came around the Cas tryline and it was a combination of inspired Cas defence and poor Leeds execution that kept them in it. If I were a Cas fan, I'd be looking accusingly at their creative players. Rangi Chase looked a threat whenever he had the ball and scored a wonder try. Leeds kept him well shackled apart from that, but that clearly left a void that was screaming for Orr or McGoldrick to step into. Neither did. Apart from one charge down at the end (and Ray French's enthusiasm for telling us that he was 31) Orr was practically invisible and McGoldrick was enthusiastic but had clearly left his brain in his "potting shed" which was disappointing for an experienced player. Shame for the fans, we really weren't all that good and Cas will wait a while for an easier shot at Wembley.

Leeds, as said above, were not all that wonderful. The grit was good to see, but the lack of quality will leave Wigan fighting against complacency, which is their biggest enemy going into the final. Wigan's defence was brilliant on Saturday, and the combination of that line speed with our poor attacking execution doesn't bode well. Allied to the idea of Charnley and Tomkins in broken field on the big pitch at Wembley and I start feeling a bit overawed by the magnitude of improvement we'll need to have any chance of getting Sir Kevin's hands on the elusive Challenge Cup.