For the first time in 11 games, Castleford's forward pack were able to outmuscle their opponents for 80 minutes. The starting prop forward duo of Liam Watts and Jesse Sene-Lefao - returning after a six-game absence through injury - took the game to Wakefield from the kick-off, whilst substitutes Matt Cook, Grant Millington, Junior Moors and Gadwin Springer all played their part in what turned out to be a very dominant performance from the Castleford pack.

Liam Watts' impact

Liam Watts has had a steady start to his Castleford career, yet, on Friday night, he was at his blockbusting best.

Throwing off defenders left, right and centre and eating up the yards, Watts got Castleford on the front foot whenever he took a carry. Watts also defended fiercely and cuts an imposing figure in the centre of the field which not only intimidates the opposition, but also gives his teammates confidence that he can make something happen.

The former Hull FC forward impressed enough to be included in Sky's four-man man-of-the-match performance list and it is this type of form which Watts will need to continue to show as the Tigers come up against some very difficult opponents in May. Watts brings something different to a Castleford forward pack littered with stars; his offload game is right up there with the very best in the game - he is a big-game player and with the right attitude has the potential to be capped by his country.

Whilst in the past, his discipline has let him down, Watts has so far kept his head and looked physical and aggressive without going over the top.

Dominant pack

Watts was not the only forward to impress on Friday though; Sene-Lefao, Millington, Moors, McMeeken, Cook and Springer made the Wakefield pack look like schoolboys. They dominated the game, made easy yards and more often than not won the wrestle in the tackle.

Whilst Springer has been criticised in the past for his lacklustre efforts, the French Guianan-born prop brought a great deal of energy onto the field when he was finally given the nod by head coach Daryl Powell in the second half.

Matt Cook was once again superb and underlined why he is so highly thought of by the Castleford faithful - the ex-Bradford prop has the highest average metre gain of all his fellow Castleford forwards with 8.14 metres.

Once more, the introduction of Millington, Moors and Cook off the bench at near enough the same time, swung the momentum firmly in the Tigers' favour midway through the first half.

Eight times the Tigers forced Wakefield to drop out and most of this was down to the Castleford pack beating their Trinity counterparts at the ruck area, allowing Castleford's makeshift half-back partnership of Paul McShane and Jamie Ellis to control proceedings with an excellent short kicking game.

Needs to continue

Look ahead to Castleford's next few fixtures - Hull FC away, St Helens at home in the Challenge Cup, Leeds at the Magic Weekend, St Helens at home and then Warrington away - and the forward pack will be tested immensely.

Castleford's season could well be defined in the next five matches - their opponents are all fellow fop-four challengers - and the Tigers' forwards need to be at the top of their game just as they were against Wakefield. The forwards were brilliant against Trinity, but the real test is soon to come.