OLIVER PRATT is loving life in Super League – even if he’s feeling the effects at the end of every week.
This is a first full season at the top level for Wakefield Trinity’s 20-year-old centre and he’s played every match so far.
Indeed, the break for the Challenge Cup semi-finals is the first time he’s had a weekend off since the campaign began in early February.
Pratt’s rise has been an impressive one, from making his Super League debut in the final match of Wakefield’s 2023 relegation campaign to being one of the leading lights of their treble-winning Championship season.
He scored 19 tries in 34 appearances as Trinity won the Championship Grand Final, League Leaders’ Shield and 1895 Cup.
And the York-born prospect has retained his starting place this season, handling the new level in impressive fashion.
“I just wanted to build on where I was last year,” said Pratt. “I knew it would be a step up and it definitely has been.
“The pace of things picks up a notch. You’re playing against full-time players every week which is massive.
“I’m really enjoying it though, it’s a good challenge. I’m loving it so far.
“Now it’s about keeping that shirt, with the same sort of mentality I had last year – every game was about keeping that shirt, and whatever happens off the back of that is a bonus.”
Pratt admits that going from the second tier to the first has also had its physical effects: “It’s getting used to the toll it has on your body.
“It’s massive playing every week. The short turnarounds are tough as well, they do get you.
“In the Championship you’re playing pretty much every Sunday so you’ve got a full week.
“So that’s a struggle (this year) but I’m getting there now and getting used to it.”
