Greg Eden hat-trick give Castleford first win of season against Hull

Lee Radford will insist that the fact his first victory as the Castleford coach has come against the side who unceremoniously sacked him live on television two years ago means very little, but there is no doubting he will have raised a smile at full time here. His Tigers side had laboured their way through the opening three games of the season with no success so a win of any kind, against any side, would have sufficed here.

However, there is no doubting this will have meant more to Radford given it was against Hull FC. A Greg Eden hat-trick in the winger’s first appearance of the season leaves Wakefield and Toulouse as Super League’s only sides still without a win in 2022. The hosts led from as early as the opening seconds when Hull fumbled the kick-off and allowed Daniel Smith to score.

Timed at just under 10 seconds, it was almost the fastest try in Super League history, and it set the tone for a frustrating afternoon for the visitors. They staged a late rally in the second half but to their credit Castleford held firm and closed the game out. “I’d have preferred to do it in round one, but the manner of that result was important,” Radford said.

Smith’s try and two goals from Gareth O’Brien put Castleford into an early 8-0 lead and while Danny Houghton and Josh Griffin replied for Hull, further Tigers tries courtesy of Eden and Cheyse Blair gave the hosts a six-point lead at the break. “We turned up thinking we’d carry on what we did last week,” Hull’s coach, Brett Hodgson, lamented.

That lead was extended shortly after half-time when O’Brien cut through on the angle, before quick handling sent Eden across for his second. Hull hit back through Adam Swift but the back-and-forth nature of the game continued when Eden