After 18 years in the professional game, Jay Pitts could scarcely have imagined a better farewell than helping his hometown club Wakefield Trinity complete a remarkable transformation and lift the Super League trophy. 

WE all know the stories of Cinderella’s fairy godmother weaving her magic to send her to the ball, the seven dwarves with whom Snow White found refuge to escape her wicked stepmother, or the ugly duckling that grew into a beautiful swan.

But we can now add another fairytale to that list in Wakefield Trinity.

Just three years ago, the club was in dire straits, with relegation to the Championship after a 25-year stay in Super League and a mass exodus of players and staff.

They were the ugly duckling, if you will.

But after finding their own fairy godfathers in seasoned coach Daryl Powell and owner Matt Ellis, some 1,114 days after their relegation, Trinity transformed into the swan and finally wrote their name into Super League history.

After producing one of the performances of the season to topple treble-chasing Wigan in the semi-final, they overcame Warrington 23-10 in the showpiece event at Old Trafford to claim glory.

Despite the renewed positivity brought by Powell and Ellis, even the most die-hard Trinity fan could not have predicted that at the start of the season.

It was the last dance for veteran forward Jay Pitts, someone who has been through it all with his hometown club.

The 455th and final appearance of an 18-year professional career, it was almost poetic that he played a part in securing the most coveted of silverware for the club that handed him his debut back in 2008.

“It’s a fairytale to sign off like that,” enthused Pitts, who went on to have spells at Leeds, Hull FC, Doncaster, Bradford and London before returning to Trinity ahead of the 2020 season.

“It’s amazing just to get to the Grand Final, but to do that, there’s no better feeling.

“I can’t describe it. It was just amazement really.

“I was like ‘how have Wakefield done that’ in a four-year period from where we were and where the club was before that, and knowing where we’ve been and the struggles that we’ve had.

“To do something like that, on the big stage, and in my last season, you can’t write it, can you? It’s pretty special.”

Trinity’s famous win was all but confirmed by half-time, with converted tries from Cameron Scott, Isaiah Vagana and Jazz Tevaga and a Jack Sinfield field-goal – in front of father Kevin, who delivered the match ball after completing the final of his 7 in 7 ultramarathons – opening up a 19-0 lead.

And though Warrington took advantage of a Corey Hall sin-bin to hit back in the second half through Arron Lindop, Tom Johnstone’s try rendered the Wolves’ youngster’s second a mere consolation as Wakefield became only the sixth club to lift the trophy.

“I did shed a couple of tears,” admitted Pitts.

“That just proves how much it means to us all; I think there’s a few people that shed a few.

“It was tears at the excitement of doing it, but also tears at the fact that I won’t be able to do this again with this group of players.

“I love all these blokes, they’re great, and they’re a great team and a great bunch of people.

“I’m just glad that I’ve been able to do this with them.”

Pitts made 196 appearances for Trinity across nine seasons, but one thing that never waned was his pride in pulling on the red, white and blue jersey.

“I’ve always had massive pride to play for Wakefield,” he explained.

“It’s my hometown club; they got me through my scholarship and gave me my first shot at Super League, so I’ve always been proud to play for them.

“But there’s been no hiding that the club were struggling. They didn’t have the best facilities, they couldn’t attract the best players or the best people, and it probably wasn’t being run the best either compared to other Super League clubs.

“To have experienced that, and then to see where the club is now, it’s the perfect send-off.”

Having seen the dark days first-hand, he credited the work of Ellis and Powell in bringing success back to the club.

“The development of the club since Matt and Powelly and everyone have come in has been great to see, they set all this in motion and have taken it to another level.

“The way they have come in, the culture that they’ve brought and the players that they’ve brought in, it’s been a special place to play at the back end of my career.

“And it’s probably been the most enjoyable.

“I’ve loved my career and I’ve loved playing for all the clubs that I’ve played for, but to be able to finish like this and on a high, it’s pretty special.”

As a result, to bow out with the Grand Final is something Pitts could only have dreamed of.

“I’d be lying if I said I thought we could make it to the Grand Final so soon,” he laughed. “We were playing in the Championship a couple of years ago.

“We knew we’d get back to Super League, but what we could do with the squad that we had was unknown.

“The players that Millsy (director of rugby Ste Mills) and Powell have bought in, some of them were unknown. But wow, they’re known now, aren’t they?

“That’s your Lepz’ (Caleb Hamlin-Uele), your Caius Faatili’s, your Ky Rodwell’s, people like that. They’re superstar players.

“You saw in the final how good they were and how good this squad is as well.

“Once we got back into Super League, I got a real belief that we could do something special.

“After last year’s taste of the play-offs [when Wakefield lost to Leigh in the first round], we knew in-house that we could do something.

“To actually go out there and deliver it is a different story, but here we are.”

Pitts, though, knows such things are not achieved overnight, and was quick to admit such a career would not have been possible without the support of his family.

“My wife and my two kids have been around everywhere with me,” he explained.

“My wife had to come down to London with me [when he played for the Broncos between 2017 and 2019]; she had a job up here and had to drive up and down.

“I can’t thank her enough, she’s an amazing woman and I’m so proud to have her as my wife.

“And my mum and dad, who were trailing me round when I was a kid and stuff like that, it’s just as sweet for them as it is for me.

“I’m so glad that I’ve been able to justify doing that and they’ve justified doing all that as well.

“To walk away with the Super League title at the back end of my career, I’m so blessed that I’ve got such a great family. I love them all.”

As for what is next for Wakefield, Pitts believes this is just the start.

“I don’t think that this will be a one-off,” he insisted.

“The club are doing everything right, and now players want to come to Wakefield as well.

“They’ve got a smart set-up, they’ll get the right people in, and I think this is the start of something massive for Wakefield going forward.

“It’s massive for the city.

“Over the past couple of years, you’re walking round and you can see miles more Wakefield shirts.

“The foundation are out there doing things with the community and things like that, it’s just Wakefield all around.

“The city is so excited about it as well.

“To do this, the city is going to blow up. There’s going to be more people, more fans, more things. They’ve been amazing.

“The city deserves this, and I’m proud to be a Wakefield lad.”

First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 526 (November 2026)