Buffaloes fall to heartbreaking last second defeat against Castleford Panthers
Reported by Andy and Devon Johnson
On a sweltering afternoon, the Buffaloes arrived looking to continue their excellent run of form against the Panthers. Despite missing a couple of regular starters, the team fielded a lineup that still looked strong on paper.
The Buffaloes got off to a flying start, opening the scoring within 2 minutes. Returning after a six-week injury layoff, Lewis Gaunt exploited a gap in the Panthers’ defensive line to score 15 meters wide of the posts. Unfortunately, his conversion attempt drifted wide (how crucial this was to become). Buffaloes 4 – 0.
Just 3 minutes later, the Buffaloes were in again. Winger Robb Barnes leapt like a salmon out of water to collect a perfectly weighted last-tackle kick from Sam Neave, to dot down close to the uprights. This time, Gaunt’s conversion was bang on target extending the lead to 10–0.
At this stage, it looked like business as usual for the Buffaloes as they settled into a familiar rhythm. However, the flow of the game soon shifted—not through opposition pressure, but due to an increasingly prominent role played by referee Andy Fossett. From the 10th to the 30th minute, he exerted a growing influence on proceedings, almost blowing the pea out of his whistle. A string of contentious decisions were made that left players and supporters alike scratching their heads. While the Buffaloes’ match reports have tried to show leniency towards officials this season and give them the benefit of the doubt, even with a day’s reflection, it’s difficult to ignore the inconsistency that was on display. Key infringements—particularly around offside and forward passes—went unpunished, while other offences were rigorously penalised. Furthermore, when play moved quickly forward, Mr. Fossett didn’t, leaving him several meters behind some incidents. It’s not often I agree with a Rhinos fan, but he was spot on with his shout of, “Come on, ref, keep up with the game!”
The penalty count quickly mounted, with the Buffaloes being pulled up multiple times for incorrect play-the-balls and alleged ball steals (as were the opposition). However, since a lot of the handover happened in the Buffaloes’ half, this opened the door for Castleford, who capitalised with three tries in quick succession—two of which were converted—to swing the momentum and take a 10–16 lead by the 22nd minute.
But just when the tide seemed to have turned, Captain Taz stepped up to wrestle back control. In a powerful solo burst, he struck twice in the space of two minutes—first barging over from close range, then surging through the line from 20 metres out for a superb finish. Whilst only one conversion found the mark, this gave the Buffaloes a 6-point lead as the halftime whistle blew.
Half-time score: Buffaloes 22 – 16
The second half saw the Buffaloes continue to battle not only the Panthers but also a string of questionable officiating decisions. Castleford narrowed the gap to 22–20, aided by a try that should never have stood—a clear forward pass well before halfway was ignored, alongside the final forward pass required to score—but it was not to be.
In the 65th minute, Omar produced a moment of individual brilliance, powering down the left-wing channel to hand off the Panther’s winger to score wide out. Marcus White’s conversion drifted wide, but the Buffaloes had edged ahead once again: 26 – 20
What followed just minutes later was, quite simply, a farce. It started with a debatable ball steal with the referee deciding the Buffaloes had stolen the ball, awarding Castleford a scrum 40 metres out. From there, the Panthers executed a planned move—with the fullback breaking early in anticipation of a kick over the top. By the time the standoff put boot to ball, the fullback was already five metres in front of the kicker, clearly offside and unmarked behind the Buffaloes pack. All that remained was for him to catch the ball after the bounce and cross unopposed. Players and supporters alike waited for the inevitable penalty—but instead, the try was awarded, levelling the game at 26–26. No signal for offside, no hesitation. Just disbelief.
Still, the Buffaloes weren’t done. In the 68th minute, they rallied and mounted a strong attack. A slick move saw Sam Neave put Sam Marshall through, who finished smartly to regain the lead. The conversion once again missed, but the scoreboard read 30–26.
After marching back downfield, the Buffaloes returned to the Panthers’ line, pressing hard after a defensive ball steal on the line. The ball was passed to Jake Doyle who barged over to score – only for the play to be pulled as he hadn’t blown his whistle (maybe he’d finally blown the pea out of it!). A restart followed, and this time Taz was denied just short, and in the resulting chaos the ball was stripped once more. The referee paused play once again and, somewhat strangely, took both captains aside for a chat. In a baffling decision, Taz was sent to the sin bin (although no card was shown) for an accidental headbutt!
With 10 minutes left, the departure of man of the match Taz was devastating for the Buffaloes and proved costly. With just two minutes remaining, Castleford worked their way downfield, and the fullback once again breached the line to score. The conversion, under pressure, missed – leaving the score locked at 30 – 30.
All the Buffaloes needed was a solid restart to see the game out, but the kickoff sailed straight into touch. The Panthers regained possession and drove forward. On their last tackle, they lost the ball, and it was quite rightly penalised as a ball steal. The resulting penalty kick went over, and the final whistle confirmed a gut-wrenching 30–32 defeat.
How the Buffaloes lost this game after scoring six beautiful tries is open to debate, but one thing seems clear: the man in the middle had far too much influence. While certain infractions—like his favourite of not playing the ball correctly—were relentlessly penalised, other crucial elements like offside and forward passes were repeatedly overlooked. This left the Buffaloes with a sense of what might have been — and a result that felt more taken than lost.
Final score: Buffaloes 30 – 32 Panthers
Buffaloes: 1) Marcus White, 2) Robb Barnes, 3) Samuel Marshall, 4) Omar Al Rawi, 5) Ben Blanchard, 6) Sam Neave, 7) Lewis Gaunt, 8) Jacob Oldroyd, 9) Lewis Johnson, 10) Charlie McMurray, 11) Billy Butterworth, 12) Ben Wilkinson, 13) Cameron McLachlan, Subs (all used); 14) Jordan Wegg, 15) Ramsey,16) Cameron McGill, 17) Jake Doyle.
Tries: Gaunt (2), Barnes (5), McLachlan (30 & 32), Al Rawi (65), Marshall (70)
Goals: Gaunt x 3
Panthers: 1) Ryan Kirkwood, 2) Logan Benn, 3) Max Lambourne, 4) Travis Morse, 5) Cayden Coleman, 6) Declan McCall, 7) Nathaniel Mallinson, 8) Carl Etherington, 9) Jake Smith, 10) Thomas Holder, 11) Reece Henderson, 12) Drew Wright, 13) Jordan Holder, Subs (all used); 14) Joe Day, 15) Craig Wilson, 16) Dale Waring, 17) Ceejay Wilson,
