Huddersfield thrash Castleford in Accu Stadium farewell

Huddersfield Giants gave the Accu Stadium the goodbye they wanted on Saturday 12 September, beating Castleford Tigers 48-16 in Super League.

The Round 27 Betfred Super League fixture was their last at the ground after 31 years. It also closed the 2026 season. The big win lifted Huddersfield above Castleford into 12th place in the table, according to BBC Sport.

Huddersfield led 24-6 at half-time. They held that control to the end. Short bursts through the middle broke Castleford open again and again after the break.

They did most of the damage with 12 players instead of 13. Prop Fenton Rogers was sent off in the first half for an elbow to the head. Referee Tara Jones produced the red card. In rugby league, a red card means no replacement. The team must work harder in defence and attack for the rest of the game.

Playing short demands extra runs and extra tackles from everyone left on the field. Huddersfield handled that workload and still finished stronger. Fatigue creates gaps and missed tackles, and the home side found them.

That shortage made the scoreline striking. Taane Milne scored twice. So did Jacob Gagai. Tristan Powell, Connor Wrench, Zac Woolford and Lewis Jagger crossed once each. A try, grounding the ball over the tryline, is worth four points. Tui Lolohea added seven goals, kicks through the posts worth two points each, to keep Huddersfield clear.

Castleford kept pushing. Liam Hood, Daejarn Asi and Jordan Lane all scored tries. McNamara kicked two goals. But the visitors could not live with Huddersfield's speed and handling once gaps appeared.

It was only the second time Huddersfield passed 40 points in a league game all season. That tells its own story about a tough year. To do it a man down, in the last home game, gave supporters something to keep.

The club had cut ticket prices to £10 for adults and £5 for juniors to fill the stadium one final time, according to Huddersfield Giants. Kick-off was at 3pm on Saturday. Coach Jim Lenihan had named a 21-man squad for the occasion.

From next season, Huddersfield will share the Flair Stadium with Championship club Dewsbury Rams. A groundshare means playing home games at another club's ground.

For supporters, this was about more than two points at the end of a long season. Thirty-one years of home games ended with a fast, brave performance. That is a good memory to take to a new place.