DARYL Powell urged his Wakefield Trinity players to believe in their ability to make the Betfred Super League play-offs after downing champions Wigan Warriors.
The promoted side moved back into the top six following a 16-10 win over the team which swept all before them in 2024, securing their seventh win over the Warriors in their past nine meetings at the DIY Kitchens Stadium.
Trinity now sit a point ahead of Hull FC, who face struggling Salford Red Devils on Sunday, and head coach Powell called on his players to embrace defying those who had few expectations of them following their return to Super League for 2025.
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.@WTrinityRL give their home crowd a great victory!#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/XjvIYH1dPC
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) June 20, 2025
“We’ve been talking about belief probably since we got promoted last year,” Powell told Sky Sports. “Nobody expected us to do what we’re doing at the moment.
“I thought we could, especially when we got into the season with the ability we’ve got with the ball, but also that we’ve got some big boys.
“We’ve got some boys who can really challenge the opposition and once I’d seen what they could do it was just about giving them belief they could do it.
“We’re still on that journey of believing we can be there at the end of the season and this will pump up that belief.”
Wakefield’s win over Wigan came on the back of both a strong defensive effort to resist an attempted fightback from the visitors and the kicking game of Mason Lino.
Former Samoa international Lino was named player of the match for his role in Trinity’s eighth win of the campaign and the halfback felt there was plenty more to come from the team.
“We’re still building,” Lino told Sky Sports.
“We want to be a consistent team, we want to play play-off footy and I think we’re showing glimpses of it.
“Once we get a few more boys back we can start building again.
“We showed if we execute, we’re a tough team to beat.”
Wakefield’s cause has not been helped by injuries, with experienced second row Mike McMeeken joining the likes of Renouf Atoni, Ky Rodwell, Matty Storton and Caleb Hamlin-Uele on the sidelines for a couple of weeks after suffering a pectoral issue.
Trinity’s pack was so decimated that one-time centre Jack Croft, who had only last week returned from injury himself, ended up playing off the interchange bench as an emergency middle forward against Wigan.
Yet for Powell, the fact they overcame that justified his faith in the team.
“It doesn’t matter who’s on the field, we can do a job,” Powell said.
“There were some superb efforts with people out of position.
“The boys who are comimg back have got something to live up to, because that was a fair effort.”