Wakefield coach Chris Chester is hoping that the overdue arrival of spring will help bring the best out of his side – as they begin what he has identified as a vital period in their season tonight.
Trinity head to Salford on buoyant mood, having become only the second side to beat league leaders St Helens this season last weekend.
And Chester is hopeful that with the sun finally shining following a horrendous few weeks of weather, it will benefit his side more than most.
He said: “I think we’re a warm-weather team with the way we approach games and the way we want to play.
“But so are Salford; they’re very similar to us in that they’re expansive with the way we play. The sun has certainly put some smiles in our faces within our camp this week though – we’ve just got to make hay while it’s here.”
After a run of games against the top teams in the competition, Chester is also hopeful that Wakefield can take full advantage of a period which includes fixtures against sides struggling at the wrong end of the table.
He said: “It’s a really important five or six weeks. We’ve got the derby against Castleford next Friday, then we’ve got Hull KR, Widnes and Magic Weekend (against Huddersfield) in and around that too. There’s some winnable, but tough, games on the horizon for this team.”
Chester continued: “We stuck together through that tough patch where we were just coming up short, but it’s been a really positive week this week.
“There’s a lot to be happy about but like I’ve said, Sunday’s result doesn’t mean a great deal unless we back it up against a side who are playing well at the moment and only two points behind us. They were unlucky not to get the result when we played them at our place – only goal-kicking was the difference.”
Chester could also name an unchanged side for the game, though winger Tom Johnstone is pushing for a recall.
