Wakefield Trinity boss reveals double injury blow and makes Mason Lino admission

Wakefield Trinity boss Daryl Powell has confirmed that Renouf Atoni and Caleb Hamlin-Uele picked up injuries on Saturday night. Trinity fell to a 24-20 defeat to Catalans Dragons in golden point at the Stade Gilbert Brutus, with Powell’s side squandering a half-time lead of 18-8 to lose the game.

A try from Reimis Smith ultimately proved the difference in sudden death, with Mason Lino’s sin bin laying the platform for the French side to claim their fifth league win of the season. Wakefield now sit ninth in the Super League table, but they’ll be confident of bouncing back next weekend at St James’ Park when they face Castleford Tigers.

Powell will have to make at least one change to his side, though, with the head coach ruling out Atoni due to a calf problem, while Hamlin-Uele’s arm injury will be checked, too.

“Renouf Atoni has got a calf,” Powell confirmed after the game. “Caleb couldn’t go back on with an arm injury. We’ll get him checked up but Renouf won’t be available next week.”

Wakefield Trinity must learn quicker, says Daryl Powell

On the game itself Powell was left frustrated by the way his side failed to capitalise on the lead they had built up in Perpignan, insisting his side are not learning quickly enough.

“I thought we were great in the first half and pretty poor in the second,” he said. “Catalans put their foot down at the start of the second half and I thought fair enough that happens, they were always going to come out and fight like they did but to concede in the first five minutes and whenever we had the opportunity to take control of the game, I don’t think we took it.

“We kicked loose, we gave penalties away and eventually Catalans just wear you down with their size. It’s disappointing but we have a fair team and we’re competing every single week, we’ve gone close today and there’s an argument to say we could have easily won that game.

“We get to golden point and we go down to 12 men, good luck with that, that makes it so tough. It’s a really poor decision from Mason on that tackle and he’s going to know that, he doesn’t need me to tell him. They were always going to put kick pressure on from there and they were pretty smart how they took that opportunity.

“I’m really proud of the boys and their effort, I just think some lessons we’re not learning quick enough but we’re a pretty courageous team. There’s plenty of teams who cave in here and we’re not one of them which is pleasing.”