Wakefield Trinity ended Warrington’s hopes of finishing in the top two as Daryl Powell’s pack men dominated to help defeat the Wolves.
Trinity won 25-18 with Mason Lino’s late drop goal putting the game beyond all doubt, with Wakefield now having one hand on a home play-off match thanks to their win.
Wire took the lead early through penalties but some Tom Johnstone magic put the hosts in front. Two quickfire Wire tries gave them the lead at the break but Wakefield came out of the second half fastest, with Isaiah Vagana scoring a brace.
Warrington levelled it up but Cam Scott powered over before Mason Lino’s drop goal put the game beyond all doubt to secure the win in a high quality game.
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Wakefield Trinity and Warrington Wolves talking points
Play-offs arrive early
Plenty will be picking the Saturday evening game between Leeds and Wigan as the most intense match of the weekend but it will have to be some game to beat this one, which felt like knock-out rugby.
Warrington set that tone early by kicking two penalties early on, clearly aware that it was going to be a tight game, and that proved the case with the match being an attritional one that was full of moments.
The biggest shame in all of this is that it’s now impossible for these sides to actually meet in the play-offs, unless they both get to Old Trafford – a match-up that would ensure a new champion is crowned.
Death by a thousand offloads
Warrington were the better side for the opening 20 minutes but it was again a case of Trinity’s bench changing the game and it wasn’t just what those big boppers brought in physicality, but more so their offload game.
That flipped the script but Warrington still managed to lead going into the half thanks to some brilliance from Josh Smith and then George Williams, however, Trinity found their momentum again and it all came off the back of their offload game.
They sped the game up so much so that Warrington could not handle it, starting to roll Wire down the field, and ultimately that helped them win the arm wrestle and with it the game.
Big halves call
Daryl Powell made a big call in leaving Jake Trueman on the bench, starting with Mason Lino and Jack Sinfield as his halves pairing and you would probably argue that he nailed it.
Lino would assistant Isaiah Vagana’s try and he’d kick the drop goal on the 75th minute to put the game beyond all doubt. Moreover, Trueman’s introduction off the bench in the 52nd minute seemed to lift Wakefield and ensure they kept up that fast ruck that had been built on offloads.
What he does next week against Leigh is now the big question.
Next academy star
Warrington are establishing themselves as one of the strongest academies around and we’ve seen multiple examples of that this season, with Ewan Irwin the clear standout but there’s plenty more.
The newest name in that list is forward Charlie McKler, who did not take a backwards step when fronting up against one of the competition’s most dominant packs.
His first tackle saw him go up against Caius Faatili and he certainly introduced himself well, whilst his first carry also drew a penalty. The young man also had an offload about him and whilst Warrington lost this game, they will view McKler’s debut as a major success.
Game-changing returnees
Back in the team after a few weeks out injured and Tom Johnstone proved why he is so so special, with a four-minute period in the first half showcasing his talent.
He had no right to make the tackle on Danny Walker in the 23rd minute, tearing across from the opposite wing to hold up the hooker and prevent Wire from taking a 10-0 lead that would have been very hard to overcome.
Just minutes later, he turned Josh Smith inside out to score and get Wakefield’s first points on the board. Trinity’s other standout returnee was Isaiah Vagana, who bagged himself a brace and surely cemented himself in the Super League Dream Team.
Trinity turn it around to defeat the Wolves ⚜️#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/MhoMQLQENu
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) September 5, 2026
