Warrington Wolves came from 16-6 down to score seven unanswered tries and overwhelm Castleford Tigers at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, leaving the visitors to absorb another painful defeat in a season already veering off the rails Castleford Tigers.

The Tigers had every reason to believe this might be different. Their most recent home fixture had produced a shock win over league leaders Leeds Rhinos — a result that briefly stopped the rot. What followed was a 52-point collapse against a Wakefield Trinity side reduced to 12 men, and Castleford had already conceded 100 points across their previous two matches BBC Sport.

For 25 minutes, though, the upset looked live. Castleford built a 16-6 lead and had Warrington searching for answers. Then the dam broke.

Seven tries followed without reply. Warrington's Ashton crossed for his seventh try in seven games — a run that speaks to a winger in the form of his career. Team-mate King brought up his 100th career try in the same match, a milestone moment folded into the broader demolition BBC Sport.

Discipline played its part. Castleford's Alex Mellor was sent to the sin-bin — rugby league's 10-minute suspension for repeat or cynical infringements — in the 60th minute for holding down King in the tackle. Warrington's King then joined him on the sidelines five minutes later, sin-binned by referee Liam Moore, but by then the damage was done BBC Sport.

Warrington had welcomed back captain George Williams to training ahead of the match, a return that gave the side a steadying hand at halfback (the position that directs attacking play). Cai Taylor-Wray also featured for the first time since April, adding to the sense of a squad hitting its stride BBC Sport.

The win keeps Warrington near the top of the Super League table. Before this fixture their record stood at 12 wins and 4 losses from 16 matches, with a points difference of +156 and 24 competition points — numbers that place them firmly in the play-off conversation TNT Sports. Their recent form — two wins and two losses in their last five — had been mixed, but this was a performance that put their best qualities on full display.

Castleford, for their part, described themselves as having been "soundly defeated" in their own match report — a frank admission from a club that now faces a fight to steady the ship over the closing weeks of the season Castleford Tigers.

For Castleford fans, the pattern is becoming uncomfortably familiar: a flash of promise against Leeds, then a defensive avalanche. The Tigers have three home games remaining, with tickets for the lot — against Warrington, Hull Kingston Rovers and Catalans Dragons — available as a bundle from £25 for juniors Castleford Tigers. Whether those final fixtures bring relief or more of the same is the question now hanging over the Mend-A-Hose Jungle.