Wakefield Trinity ended Warrington Wolves’ six-game winning run to move closer to securing a top-four finish in what Daryl Powell described as a “high-quality game” at the DIY Kitchens Stadium.
Isaiah Vagana scored an important double at the start of the second half as Trinity fought back from 14-6 down to lead 18-14, before Cam Scott’s late try and Mason Lino’s drop-goal sealed a 25-18 win after Wire responded through Albert Hopoate in a see-saw clash.
The returning Tom Johnstone also made an impressive contribution with a first-half try as Wakefield thwarted Warrington’s slim hopes of finishing in the top two, whilst also significantly boosting their chances of returning to Belle Vue in the first round of the play-offs.
“I thought it was a high-quality game,” head coach Powell said after the win. “It was pretty hectic in the first half, and we didn’t finish our sets well enough when we were in good attacking positions. We gave decent set starts to Warrington, and they’re good enough to take advantage of it.
“I thought we started the second half how we really wanted to play. I thought our intent was great. We matched Warrington and ended up scoring tries on the back of our intensity.
“It’s a massive win for us in obviously a big game. It was a great game. Both teams played really well. I am really pleased.”
It is now back-to-back victories for Wakefield after a run of three straight defeats against Leeds Rhinos, St Helens and Wigan Warriors.
Trinity travel to fifth-placed Leigh Leopards next Friday knowing that if they avoid a heavy defeat they will make the top four and end up in their highest ever finish in Super League.
Powell said: “We probably should have beaten Leeds. They played well, but we felt like we dropped off. Saints was a bit of an anomaly for us. I felt 20-0 against Wigan was just not how the game had gone, and then we got back on track last week and it was a really positive performance today.
“There are areas where we would say we would like to improve a little bit, but overall we are pleased with where we’re at at the moment.
“We’ve got a chance to finish fourth, a strong chance now, I think. We want to get a home play-off tie.”
On Vagana’s two-try performance, Powell added: “He has done massive minutes for us across most of the year. I thought he looked refreshed today.
“He had high energy and he is a big boy to deal with. He got a lot of stick earlier in the year for not scoring tries. Probably leave him alone now because he is a try-scoring machine at the moment.”
