Castleford have not enjoyed a better beginning to an Engage Super League season. They are the only side left with a 100 per cent record, after a fourth successive victory sent them back above Warrington at the top of the table last night.
They twice trailed to their French visitors, but Catalan ran out of steam and the Tigers still had plenty in their tanks in winning comfortably in the end, having shut out the Dragons for much of the second half. Long-range tries by Nick Youngquest and Joe Arundel maintained their fairytale start.
The Dragons had led 18-12 after a rollercoaster opening half. Scott Dureau twice exposed the Tigers' defence on the right in seizing a ball palmed back by Steve Menzies, then sending a pin-point kick towards Damien Blanch at the same corner.
Castleford shrugged off their sluggish start with two tries following the early introductions off the bench of Nick Fozzard and Martin Aspinwall. Fozzard's rugged first touch on his home debut paved the way for a try by highly impressive prop Craig Huby, before Stuart Jones burst on to Danny Orr's astute pass.
It proved a short-lived advantage. Blanch butterfingered a scoring pass, but Dureau swooped on an offload by Menzies that the Castleford defence mistakenly assumed had gone forward. As well as converting, Dureau slotted a further penalty.
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The pendulum decisively swung back Castleford's way thanks to Huby's lead up front, when Kirk Dixon went over from Richard Mathers' long pass out wide. The home side regained the lead after Setaimata Sa held down Daryl Clark. From the resulting penalty, the elusive Rangi Chase sold a couple of dummies and ghosted through the Dragons' cover.
The result was put beyond doubt by Youngquest picking off another kick by Dureau meant for Blanch, and the powerful wing raced clear from 90 metres. A wonderful trysaving tackle by Clark, the 18-year-old replacement hooker, denied Menzies, the veteran of the competition at 37, before Arundel streaked clear from 80 metres out in taking advantage of Clint Greenshields' error.
Star man: Craig Huby (Castleford)
Scorers: Castleford: Tries: Huby 15, Jones 24, Dixon 49, Chase 54, Youngquest 58, Arundel 70. Goals: Dixon 5. Catalan: Tries: Dureau 4, 37, Blanch 8, Stacul 73. Goals: Dureau 4
Castleford: R Mathers; K Dixon, J Arundel, B Ferres, N Youngquest; R Chase, D Orr (capt); P Jackson, A Milner, C Huby, O Holmes, J Emmitt, S Jones. Interchange: N Fozzard, M Aspinwall, D Widders, D Clark
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Catalan: C Greenshields (capt); D Blanch, B Farrar, D Millard, C Stacul; S Sa, S Dureau; J Fakir, I Handerson, L Paea, S Menzies, S Raguin, J Baitieri. Interchange: D Ferriol, R Casty, G Mounis, T Gigot
Referee: P Bentham (Warrington)