By STEPHEN IBBETSON
COREY HALL is looking to follow Wakefield Trinity team-mate Lewis Murphy in earning a place in the England Knights squad next season.
Winger Murphy enjoyed a stunning breakthrough year, scoring 17 tries to help Trinity maintain their Super League status and force his way into Paul Anderson’s Knights set-up in the closing weeks of the season.
The speedster earned a lot of plaudits and attention but 20-year-old Hall also had a very impressive year, his first back at Trinity after leaving Leeds Rhinos.
He missed only three matches all season, demonstrating his consistency at centre and even playing second-row with success in the final weeks of the campaign.
Although Hall still had a year remaining on his contract, Wakefield moved quickly to offer a new deal which will keep him at Belle Vue until the end of the 2024 season.
“I’m absolutely delighted to be here for the next couple of years,” said Hall, who also spent time in Wakefield’s youth ranks under their new head coach Mark Applegarth.
“My first season was unbelievable really when I think about where I was right at the start. I never imagined I would make that many appearances.
“It’s now just whetted my appetite for more in 2023 and after enjoying a break away in the off-season, I’m looking forward to getting back into pre-season to kick on next year.
“I don’t want to become complacent at all, I want to keep getting better and better.
“I want to cement the starting spot again, play as well as I can, and hopefully I can make one of the international teams like the England Knights as well.”
Applegarth said of Hall: “I think he has a massive future in the game. He took his chance last year and cemented himself as a regular in the team and I’m looking forward to working with him again this coming season.
“Corey is a player who keeps his head down and works hard on his game every single day and I think he has so much potential.”
