DARYL POWELL has admitted that he contemplated walking away from rugby league after being sacked by Warrington Wolves in late July 2023.

Powell endured a difficult 18 months in charge of the Cheshire club, finishing second bottom in his first full season in 2022 before being axed midway through his second campaign.

It was a far cry away from the success that he had enjoyed at Castleford Tigers, where he took the West Yorkshire side to one Super League Grand Final and two Challenge Cup Finals.

Of course, like any coach after such a demoralising period, it can take weeks, months or even years to get back on the horse.

And Powell contemplated his future in the sport after admitting the situation took its toll on his family.

“When I first came away from the Warrington job, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do,” Powell told League Express.

“It took me a couple of weeks until I thought to myself that I couldn’t leave the sport like that and that I needed to go on and prove myself.

“Head coaching is all-encompassing. It’s a challenging job, sometimes you look at it and think ‘how long do I want to do it for?’

“I’ve been doing it a hell of a long time, I’m going grey and getting older. It’s difficult at times.

“It was a tough experience and sometimes your family suffers a little bit. You take all those things into account and then decide what you’re going to do.”

It was a whirlwind first season back in Super League for Wakefield, with Trinity qualifying for the top six play-offs.

And Powell paid tribute to Wakefield owner Matt Ellis, whose reign at the club has seen record highs of investment on and off the field.

“The thing about Wakefield is you’ve got an owner who is doing a massive amount of work at the club in terms of developing and making sure the infrastructure is in place for a long time.

“You get that right and the fact that he is prepared to invest in the squad, that creates a whole new situation.

“He (Ellis) is giving us the chance to sign players who we want to sign who will help us be the best we can be.

“When you’re always looking to improve, you’ve got a chance of constant development on and off the field.

“It’s a strong chance that this club will be one of the big players in the sport in the coming years and we’ve got to make that happen.:”