DARYL POWELL called for accountability after seeing his Wakefield Trinity side slip up at their first Super League hurdle in 2026.
The club has high hopes of matching or improving last season’s sixth-place finish but suffered a reality check at the hands of promoted Toulouse Olympique on Saturday, losing 18-16.
Following that game, coach Powell said: “The boys will hold their hands up and say that’s not where we want to be.
“Toulouse deserved to win and we’ve got a lot of work to do, and quickly I would say.
“We won’t beat anybody playing like we did tonight. We’ve got a high-quality team here but we didn’t perform like that.
“There’s some thinking to be done, but the main thing is individual players have got to get their act together and play well.
“I’ve told the boys to get their heads in order because I don’t think they were tonight. They’re disappointed and they know they need to improve.”
The same group will get the chance to make amends at Huddersfield Giants on Sunday, with only two changes to their 21-man squad as Ky Rodwell and Oliver Pratt return from injury.
In his pre-match press conference, Powell explained: “There will be some changes, but there will be some benefit of the doubt in the team as well, as I know some players will respond.
“It’s not major surgery in the team. We’ve just got to get back to our standards.”