Hull KR and Wakefield Trinity go head to head this evening at Belle Vue in round two of Super League. Both sides got their seasons up and running with narrow wins last week and they’ll be determined to build on that by continuing their unbeaten starts to the season.
Rovers edged out Castleford Tigers in golden point at Craven Park to pick up their first points of the new campaign, while Wakefield defied the odds to beat Leeds Rhinos at Headingley in their first game back in Super League. Tonight’s game in front of an optimistic and jubilant Wakefield crowd promises to intrigue then.
Given they reached the Grand Final last season, Willie Peters’ KR are the slight favourites to pick up the points this evening, but as round one proved, anything is possible at this time of year.
So how do we expect the two sides to line up in West Yorkshire?
Well, Wakefield boss Daryl Powell has been forced into making three changes to his 21-man squad, with injuries striking in camp. Ky Rodwell picked up a hamstring injury prior to the game at Headingley and won’t play this week, while Liam Hood, who started against the Rhinos won’t be involved either due to a syndesmosis issue.
Matty Russell started on the wing last Saturday but he hasn’t been included either. That opens the door for Lachlan Walmsley to potentially get the nod in the outside backs.
The winger scored 27 tries in all competitions last season and bagged another three in the win over Goole Vikings in the Challenge Cup earlier this month. He missed out on selection at Headingley but he’ll be champing at the bit to make his mark in Super League this week.
Thomas Doyle looks the likley option to take Hood’s number nine spot, with Harvey Smith potentially set to come into the fold to provide hooker depth off the bench.
Expect KR head coach Willie Peters to name an unchanged line-up for this one. Niall Evalds is expected to be involved after picking up a rib injury against his former club Castleford in round one, ensuring he gets the nod at full-back and although Sam Luckley is pushing towards full fitness once more, it’s hard to see a way back into the line-up for him at this stage.
Predicted Wakefield Trinity team: Max Jowitt; Lachlan Walmsley, Oliver Pratt, Corey Hall, Tom Johnstone; Jake Trueman, Mason Lino; Mike McMeeken, Thomas Doyle, Caleb Hamlin-Uele; Jack Croft, Matty Storton, Jay Pitts.
Bench: Olly Russell, Isaiah Vagana, Caius Faatili, Harvey Smith
Predicted Hull KR team: Niall Evalds; Tom Davies, Peta Hiku, Oliver Gildart, Joe Burgess; Mikey Lewis, Tyrone May; Sauaso Sue, Micky McIlorum, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves; Rhyse Martin, James Batchelor, Elliot Minchella.
Bench: Jez Litten, Dean Hadley, Jai Whitbread, Kelepi Tanginoa.
