IT’S rare than a club owner has such a strong bond with the supporters of his club in the way that Matthew Ellis has at Wakefield Trinity.
Matthew, who will appear on this week’s League Express Podcast, has owned Trinity for less than two years but already he has become one of the best known club owners in the game, largely because of his obvious enthusiasm for both his club and the game more generally and his image on our TV screens, particularly when celebrating a Trinity victory.
His triumphant salutes have inevitably been copied by swathes of Trinity fans, to the extent that they almost demand them after a Trinity win, as they did last Thursday night when Trinity registered that special one-point win in the final seconds of the game with a Mason Lino field-goal against Leeds Rhinos.
I’ve been going to Belle Vue for many years but I can’t remember an atmosphere that could compare with the atmosphere at full-time last Thursday.
And it isn’t just the owner that Wakefield fans are strongly attached to.
There is one player this year who has caught their imagination – Caius Faatili, with his unique hairstyle and outstanding performances.
In Wakefield’s next match, however, Caius will look quite different. At Friday’s Trinity Luncheon Club he had an arrow shaved into his head in support of Wakefield supporter Sammy Balmforth, 9, who is currently battling Leukemia and has lost his own locks.
So far, more than £5,000 has been raised in support of children’s cancer charity Candlelighters by this challenge.
Can I wish Sammy the very best of luck and acknowledge Caius for sacrificing his trademark hairstyle to help young cancer sufferers.