Max Jowitt is back fit after his injury but the full-back is set for a game in the reserves in a bid to find true match fitness, with Wakefield Trinity head coach Daryl Powell sharing an update on the health of his squad.
Wakefield host Hull KR this weekend with the two clubs among the healthier sides in Super League, although both are without their full-back this week. Whilst Arthur Mourgue may be a long-term absentee for Rovers, Trinity could be welcoming their number one Max Jowitt back to first-team action very soon.
Speaking to the media on Friday, Daryl Powell confirmed: “Max (Jowitt) will play reserves this week. Max is fit, so he just needs some game time. I think that’s the case with a couple of our players.
“We’ve got a couple of tough reserve games. We play Warrington this week and Wigan next week, so we’ll be using those games to get players ready. Obviously, you can only play 17 players every week, but at the moment, we’re in a good place, so you want to take advantage of that as much as you can.”
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Powell had also confirmed that bar Thomas Doyle and Lachlan Walmsley, all first-team players were on field at one point earlier in the week, showcasing the club’s current health.
He explained: “We’ve got a couple of bits here and there, but early on in the week, we had everybody on the field training. There was a couple of boys, Doyley (Thomas Doyle) and Lachlan (Walmsley), who were doing different training on the side, but pretty much everybody was involved this week.”
Star winger Tom Johnstone had declared himself fit earlier this week when speaking at a Magic Weekend media event, and Powell confirmed that there is a ‘strong chance’ that the winger plays against Hull KR.
Powell said: “I think he’s been disappointed to be out for a few weeks now. He’s trained all week and I’m looking forward to getting him out there. Hopefully he gets through to tomorrow. I’m sure he will.
“Like I say, he’s trained really well and looks sharp. I’m looking forward to seeing him on the field again.”
The Trinity coach also confirmed that there has been no update on the Tyson Smoothy situation amid reports that the Australian hooker intends to leave at the end of the season, rather than seeing out his deal.
When asked about that matter, Powell simply said: “No, we haven’t worked through that yet. It’s ongoing at the moment. We’ll see where that gets to, but I’ve got no further news on that.”
