Wakefield Trinity coach Chris Chester has promised he will be fielding a strong squad against local rivals Castleford on Sunday – adding that he’s never been more excited for a season in his career than the upcoming campaign.
Chester revolutionised Trinity in 2016, taking them from relegation candidates to a top-eight side in Super League – as well as guiding his hometown club to the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup.
And he told TotalRL that he can’t wait for the season to get going – saying he still doesn’t know his best team, such is the depth of his squad for 2017.
“I’ve got an idea what my best 13 is – I’m still struggling with the bench,” he said.
“I need to see guys like Max Jowitt play, as well as Jonny Molloy and David Fifita and blokes like that. In my head I’ve got the 13 that’ll play that first game against Hull barring any bad luck or injuries, and I’m looking forward to it.
“I’ve never been more excited about the start of a season as I am this one.”
Chester will name a squad of around 21 or 22 for Sunday’s game against the Tigers – and he has promised any Trinity fans who want to attend that he will be fielding a lot of the club’s big names, with the season opener against Hull just a few weeks away.
“It’ll be a strong team on Sunday. We’ll go with pretty much everyone who’s available and a strong team of 21 or 22,” he said.
“We’ll give the guys who didn’t play against Dewsbury and treat it like a proper game for the first hour before throwing everyone on in the last quarter. It’ll be a good marker of where we’re at as a group.
“We’re all excited; myself, John (Kear), and all the boys about this Sunday. It gives a fair indication of where we’re at like I say; they’ll be there or thereabouts and had it not been for the injury list they had last year, they could have been challenging a little bit higher. We’re all excited about Sunday, it’s a game we’ve pinpointed that we want to play well in.”
