With Wigan Warriors battling for the League Leaders’ Shield against St Helens and co whilst Leeds Rhinos, Warrington Wolves, Hull KR and Salford Red Devils fight for play off spots, it is easy to forget that the biggest fight is at the bottom of the league for Super League survival.
Last night was crucial in determining that with Castleford Tigers winning against Hull FC and Wakefield Trinity losing to Catalans Dragons.
However, it was suggested by some that Wakefield were down but this is not true. The West Yorkshire side can still avoid relegation but would need to win both their games and hope Castleford lose both theirs.
They would also require a 31 point turn around in terms of points difference.
In truth they needed to win against Catalans.
Elsewhere last night however, there was a relegation confirmed as Newcastle Thunder’s time in the Championship ended at the hands of Featherstone Rovers.
Fev will be hoping to gain promotion and Wakefield look like the side they could replace after last night’s result.
It was the former Trinity man Tom Johnstone who opened the scoring and he did so inside the first ten minutes when he scooped up a grubber kick before grounding.
Trinity forced a goal line drop out in their response but couldn’t make anything of it and they were punished on the 15 minute mark when Adam Keighran scored a try of his own, forcing his way through to double the lead to 12-0.
Both teams defended their try lines well but Sam Eseh saw yellow and a sin bin before the half hour mark which granted Catalans licence to turn the screw against 12 men.
That forced back to back goal line drop outs but a Dragons knock on saw them survive and they did so through till half time, in part thanks to a brilliant Mason Lino defensive effort on Sam Tomkins.
Trinity had good territory early in the second half but could do nothing with it, perhaps highlighting the key problem all season with their blunt attack.
Three more consecutive sets approaching the hour mark came to nothing and that was punished almost immediately with Tom Davies latching onto a Mitchell Pearce kick to extend the lead to 16-0.
An Adam Keighran penalty made the margin 18-0 in the 68th minute, allowing a final ten minutes for Wakefield to effectively save their season.
It looked like Kelepi Tanginoa has pulled one back but they were instead pulled back for a penalty against Catalans, Trinity receiving the ball again.
Trinity did manage to get on the board though and it was Tanginoa this time, but it couldn’t be converted leaving them to fall to 18-4 down.
Miraculously though Trinity managed to score again before the hooter with Lee Kershaw doing the length of the field to make it 18-10 but it was too little too late for Wakefield.
With Castleford leading Hull FC at the time of Trinity’s loss being concluded, it would look to be season over for Wakefield as they’d be left four points behind with just four to play for.