Josh Griffin proving a major hit at Wakefield Trinity in spite of suspension

Wakefield Trinity head to the KCOM Stadium this afternoon to face Hull FC in the knowledge that a win will put distance between themselves and fellow relegation rivals Castleford Tigers.

Trin have been on a tear lately winning four of their last six games, with that seventh game being potentially the lowest point of the season in which they lost their 14th consecutive game when falling to defeat against 12 man Leigh Leopards at Magic Weekend.

That same weekend saw Castleford open up a six point gap ahead of Wakefield as the Tigers beat Leeds Rhinos in sensational fashion, but the relegation battle is now firmly back on with the huge ‘relegation Grand Final’ to come in just under two weeks time.

One man who will be eligible to make his debut in that clash at Belle Vue between the Trin and the Tigers is Josh Griffin, who is serving the last game of his ban meaning he won’t be able to face his former club Hull FC.

Despite that Griffin has been a huge boost off the field per Mark Applegarth who told BBC West Yorkshire about the major influence that Griffin has brought to the team during his short time there.

“Yeah, same as Galey and Dave when we brought them in. Just another senior voice,” Applegarth explained.

“Josh is naturally a pretty quiet guy but when he speaks people listen. He lets his training do the talking.

“He’s really sharp in training. He’s been doing a bit of a mini pre-season as he calls it with this enforced lay-off that he’s got through the ban.

“He’s a quality proven player at this level. I think he’ll be in excellent form for Hull before he got the red card.”

That red card came in FC’s Challenge Cup quarter final against St Helens with Griffin seeing his marching orders after the half time hooter went.

It led to confusion among the fans and head coach Tony Smith hadn’t even witnessed it after heading to the dressing rooms earlier.

The monster seven game ban has handed down for abuse of a match official, with the minutes from the Match Review Panel seeing referee Chris Kendall claim that Griffin had used a swear word whilst labelling him a ‘cheat’.

Just three weeks after that send off and the rumours of Griffin heading to Belle Vue started with it being confirmed on the 12th July, Griffin having helped the club massively in his three weeks there per Applegarth.