Oliver Pratt only had one Super League appearance to his name before this season, but he’s turning heads just like his club Wakefield.
SOME young players burst onto the scene in one night, an impressive debut marking them out as a likely future star.
Others emerge more slowly, solidly taking first-team opportunities while developing behind the scenes.
Oliver Pratt is a bit of both, or perhaps neither.
His breakthrough happened rather suddenly but, by dint of it taking place in the Championship, escaped the attention it perhaps merited.
Of course Wakefield fans will already know Pratt’s rise to prominence, from a first league appearance in their final game of 2023 to being one of the stars of their treble-winning Championship season in 2024 and now a Super League regular.
Still only 20, it has become plain to any observer in this campaign that the centre has the qualities to be a top player for a long time – a fast, strong, powerful runner and smart on both sides of the ball.
Despite that, he admits he is only slowly getting used to even being a Super League player: “I still find it pretty bizarre to be fair!”
The story of how Pratt got to this point is set mostly in York, the city where he was born, first played rugby and made his professional debut.
While not the most noted rugby league hotbed, the bells of the Minster City are beginning to be heard with its ambitious Knights and Valkyrie teams.
Only half a mile away from their LNER Community Stadium is Heworth ALRFC where, long before the former was built, Pratt made his first steps.
“It’s a nice little club in the middle of York,” he says. “I played there from the age of six until I finished at 16 to move on to the (Wakefield) academy.
“When I was younger there wasn’t much rugby league in York but it’s definitely starting to grow. There are more players coming through the ranks at certain clubs in York and getting opportunities at professional clubs which is nice to see.”
It was two years ago, May 2023, that Pratt made his senior breakthrough, first on loan at York and then, only twelve days after a Championship debut against London, playing for Wakefield in the Challenge Cup against Leigh – and as if to emphasise his youth, sitting a maths exam the same day.
He says: “All you want to do when you’re that age is play. You’re around it every day in training and you’re thinking ‘I’d love to be a part of this’.
“You don’t know how long it’s going to be, when you’re going to be ready, where the coaches see you. But I remember getting the phone call that I was going to play and I was buzzing.
“It’s all you want. I played that game and I was in and around it a bit more the couple of weeks after that before going back on loan to York.
“Then I played that last game of the season against Hull KR in Super League which was pretty special as well.”
That appearance came with Wakefield’s relegation already confirmed after 25 years in the top division.
Happily, much brighter times were around the corner – a takeover by local businessman Matt Ellis, the appointment of Daryl Powell as head coach and investment in both facilities and personnel.
In many ways, it turned out to be perfect timing for Pratt. Powell liked what he saw in the teenager, handed him a starting jersey and – with the experience of eleven games for York in the bank – watched him go on to enjoy a stellar season.
All told, he played 34 matches, scored 19 tries and won three trophies – the 1895 Cup, Championship League Leaders’ Shield and Grand Final.
“I ended up getting the number three shirt at the start of the year so I knew I had an opportunity there,” says Pratt.
“But to keep that (starting position) was another big thing. I knew I wasn’t going to be gifted that shirt every week, I was going to have to earn it.
“Every week was about keeping my shirt and anything after that was a bonus, whether it was tries or the massive wins and good performances from us as a team and me as an individual.”
His highlight? “The win at Wembley was massive in the 1895 Cup Final. You go around and a lot of players don’t play at Wembley in their career, never mind at such a young age.
“It was such a good day as well. It was surreal. All my family came down. We brought loads of fans and filled out the back stand. Even things like the build-up to the game are special. That’s something I definitely want to be a part of again because I enjoyed every minute.”
He scored two tries that day against Sheffield, and another in the Grand Final against Toulouse. Wakefield looked ready for Super League – but would Pratt be?
The answer was a definitive yes. In just his second appearance he delivered a monstrous performance against pace-setters Hull KR, making over 200 metres and, in the words of Powell, “beating people for fun”.
Pratt says: “It’s good to have a performance like that. I probably didn’t expect it so soon but it’s about doing that every week now.
“I just wanted to build on where I was last year. I knew it would be a step up and it definitely has been.
“The pace of things picks up a notch. You’re playing against full-time players every week. I’m really enjoying it though, it’s a good challenge. I’m loving it so far.”
He credits Michael Shenton, the former Castleford and St Helens star now an assistant coach at Trinity, with aiding his progress immeasurably.
“He was a centre in his career so he knows exactly what I should be doing,” adds Pratt.
“He pulls me up on things I haven’t even noticed and makes sure I get it right next time. That’s been great for me and my development.”
At the time of writing, Wakefield are in the play-off places after winning six of eleven games back in Super League, and Pratt believes they should only get better.
“We’ve really stepped up to the league. I think we’ve turned up and proven that we’re no walkovers this year,” he says.
“We’ve taken pretty much every team close. Even when we’ve lost, it’s not been by much. We’ve set a good marker down to start the year and show other teams what we’re about.”
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 509 (June 2025)