Wakefield Trinity claimed their third win in a row as they beat Leigh Leopards 18-14 at Belle Vue on Friday evening.
Here’s our talking points.
Wakefield too strong
Wakefield have been looking strong in recent weeks and they built on that form by getting themselves on top early at Belle Vue as Jazz Tevaga beat Isaac Liu with some neat footwork close to the line to finish.
A Caius Faatili error gifted Leigh the platform to claw themselves back into the game through Gareth O’Brien, but it was the full-back who made the error in the build up to Wakefield’s second just after the break.
A Faatili last tackle kick landed in the hands of Tyson Smoothy, who grubbered through the line towards Jayden Myers. O’Brien swung a boot at the bouncing ball but missed and Myers touched down in the corner in the most unlikely fashion.
Oliver Pratt all but secured the points for Wakefield following Hughes’ yellow card for a professional foul and that rendered Leigh’s late efforts through Josh Charnley and Jacob Alick-Wiencke consolations.
Wakefield didn’t have it all their own way on the night but they can be more than happy with the effort on the night.
A head of steam
The Trin have now won three on the spin and they’re building a head of steam as they look to climb up the Super League table and get some early points on the board. Every game is tough in Super League, but Wakefield could be forgiven for looking at their upcoming Super League fixtures and seeing them as an opportunity to really gain some momentum in the competition.
A trip to York Knights is up next, before they face Castleford Tigers and Bradford Bulls, with a Challenge Cup quarter-final with Wigan Warriors wedged in between the latter two fixtures.
Penalty try?
With just under 20 minutes remaining on the clock, Wakefield felt they were denied a penalty try following the professional foul of Jack Hughes.
Attempting to latch onto a deft grubber into the in-goal area, Isaiah Vagana was surely going to touch the ball down before he was taken out by Jack Hughes. Hughes was sin-binned for his efforts but Wakefield had to make do with just a penalty, which eventually led to Oliver Pratt’s effort.
Harvey Smith surprise
Smith has been one of the stars of Wakefield’s season so far and he played key roles in the wins over Hull FC and Leeds Rhinos in Tyson Smoothy’s absence due to a head knock.
However, he was left out by Daryl Powell on Friday night, with the hooker being named as 18th man. Smoothy played well, but Smith would have every right to feel hard done by not be involved given how he has been playing.
Leigh down to bare bones
Leigh lost Keanan Brand and Andy Badrock in midweek with Adrian Lam naming his last 18 fit players in Friday’s matchday squad. As such, the Leopards boss’ heart will have been in his mouth when he saw Gareth O’Brien leave the field for a HIA in the second half.
Fortunately, he passed that head assessment, ensuring he could come back into the contest. And, the hope in Leigh will be that they can welcome back at least a couple of names before too long, with Edwin Ipape, Umyla Hanley, Joe Ofahengaue and David Armstrong all due to return in the next few weeks.
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