Wakefield Trinity boss Daryl Powell explains why Championship is a difficult league and different to Super League

WAKEFIELD TRINITY are currently top of the Championship after winning all six of their opening fixtures in the 2024 season.

Suffering relegation from Super League in 2023, Trinity have rebuilt under the tutelage of new owner Matt Ellis and new head coach Daryl Powell to the point at which they have a side ready for the top flight already.

However, the Championship is no easy pushover, with a number of consolidated teams aiming to knock Wakefield off their perch with every passing game.

Toulouse Olympique, who themselves made it into Super League in 2022, are one such team and they gave Trinity a scare last weekend, before Powell’s men ran out 28-12 eventual winners.

For Powell, the second tier is a different animal to Super League as he explained why there has been some need for acclimatisation.

“There are areas we want to improve, how to deal with teams who defend really well and aggressively. We have come up against Toulouse and Batley who were really aggressive on the edges,” Powell told League Express.

“We have to find a way to deal with those situations, we are learning about the teams we are playing against – they are different teams to who we have played before.

“Our individual players have played against Super League or Australian teams so we are learning on the hoof about teams and individuals.

“It’s a competitive league and it’s pretty tough. We are battling hard and finding ways to win really tough games.”

Powell also praised the support from the Wakefield fans, with over 7,000 flocking to Belle Vue on Saturday night to witness the win over Toulouse.

“The support has been great, away from home it’s been great to see that crowd. The league is a tough league and winning games shouldn’t be a foregone conclusion.

“We have got to work hard for our results, we just want the fans to enjoy it. They have supported us unbelievably well home and away and we just want to keep working on our performances to create that buzz inside the stadium.

“There is work to do on that at the moment.”

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