Willie Poching has urged his Wakefield Trinity side to keep their destiny “in our own hands”.
Wakefield spent a fortnight at the foot of the Super League table on points difference before a stunning derby victory over Castleford Tigers.
Relegation rivals Toulouse Olympique lost a third game in succession last Thursday, meaning Wakefield maintained a two-point buffer even before their Sunday clash with Catalans Dragons.
That Catalans match was the first of four against all the current top-four sides in their final six, with every match now hugely significant.
“The next three or four weeks are big,” said Trinity coach Poching.
“We’ve given ourselves an opportunity to put our destiny in our own hands.
“We can control that, and we’ve got to stay in control of it.”
“A buffer would be nice, but we just want to finish the season as strongly as we can.
“Come the end of the season, we’ll look back and see that we left no stone unturned and gave everything we had.”
One player to catch the eye in recent weeks has been Lewis Murphy.
League Express’ Garry Schofield last week touted the young winger as the ideal successor to the outgoing Tom Johnstone, and Poching admits he has every chance.
He said of Murphy: “We’ve got someone who’s capable, more than capable. He’s put himself in the front seat.
“He has some natural ability and some ‘uncoachables’. His speed is outstanding.
“There are some areas we’re working with him on and he’s still got some improvement. But more than anything, he’s got a desire to keep improving.”
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