THE second round of the Super League Super 8s kicked off on Thursday night, when Castleford met Warrington at The Jungle.

Some resolute goal-line defence in the early stages of the game gave the Tigers a platform on which to build and left Warrington ruing their early chances to take the lead.

An impressive performance from winger Brian Carney, who scored a try in each half, helped Castleford on their way, but it was a last minute drop goal from the left boot of Liam Finn which gave them the vital two points.

The 17-16 victory keeps them level with Huddersfield in fourth place and makes Warrington’s chances of a top four finish very slim.

The Wolves gave a second outing to new signing Chris Sandow but the former Parramatta Eels halfback still looks like he’s getting used to his new team, despite showing the odd glimpse of individual quality.

The rest of the Super League Super 8 games took place on Friday, with Hull FC’s comeback at St Helens providing neutrals with one of the highlights of the round.

They trailed 18-6 at half-time but scored five tries in the second half to come back and win the game by 32 points to 22.

Hull winger Tom Lineham added another four-pointer to his season tally, taking him level with Wigan’s Joe Burgess at the top of the try-scoring charts with 21.

Joe Westerman and Jamie Shaul also scored for the away side but it was Curtis Naughton’s hat-trick which really stole the show.

Elsewhere, Leeds defeated Wigan 25-18 in a tough contest at Headingley.

In doing so, the Rhinos increased their lead at the top of the table to four points but the Warriors remain one point ahead of Saints in second.

Huddersfield retained the all-important fourth spot in the table thanks to a 24-12 win at home to Catalans Dragons.

Two tries from Jermaine McGilvary helped them to the win but they’re only ahead of fifth-placed Castleford thanks to their superior goal difference.

Giants coach Paul Anderson spoke of his side’s resilience, hinting that the games already have a playoff feel to them.

“This wasn’t a game for fancy, free-flowing football,” he said. “This was a game for turning the opposition round and making them come off their own line, which is what you need to do in playoff football and that’s what we did well.”

Anderson’s words echo the thoughts of many Super League coaches, as their teams approach the business end of the season.