Wakefield Trinity boss Daryl Powell has highlighted how he best thinks Leeds Rhinos can be beaten, something his side did earlier this season in the Challenge Cup.
Despite that, Powell isn’t expecting the same game as that one back in March with the Trinity boss labelling Leeds as ‘pretty heavy favourites’ for Friday night’s encounter at Headingley.
Confirming that Tom Johnstone was missing due to an ankle injury, Powell admitted: “We’ve got a few players missing this week, so it’s a tough challenge against a team that’s got everybody fit and they’re the team of the comp at the moment, so we know what we’ve got to do.”
One thing that Wakefield must do, in his opinion, is protect the ball with Leeds’ past two opponents of Catalans and Huddersfield failing to do so and ultimately having a combined 102 points put on them.
Speaking in his pre-match presser, Powell said: “You’ve got to look after the ball and kick well and chase well. You’ve got to do everything pretty well from a defensive point of view and we recognise that.
“They’re got players who are all playing well. The spine is pretty hot at the moment, so they’re a challenge. They’re good everywhere you look, I think. We know what we’ve got to do. We know how good we’ve got to be.”
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Wakefield Trinity boss calls for durability against red-hot Rhinos
Leeds conceded inside 62 seconds last week but ultimately led 28-10 at half-time as they scored five quickfire tries and Daryl Powell pointed to that when explaining the need to be durable against the Rhinos.
He said: “Huddersfield started well against Leeds but once you get punched on the nose, you can’t keep letting it bleed. I think that’s the thing. You’ve got to be really durable, because they will throw a lot at you.
“Over the last couple of years, we’ve played pretty well against Leeds. To give yourself a chance, you’ve got to defend exceptionally well everywhere. We know that. We’ve had a good look at Leeds.”
He also explained that whilst there are similarities in build-up to the Challenge Cup win over Leeds in regards the Rhinos form, there is a lot different on the field.
“There’s a couple of things that have changed. Obviously, Croft didn’t play against us last time, so he’s in there with a bit more experience. We’re a few players light, so you’d look and say they’re pretty heavy favourites.
“They’re at Headingley, they’re at home. The last two games they have been scoring for fun, playing front foot and their key players are all playing well. I don’t think they’ve got any injury in sight, have they? They should rightly feel confident about themselves.
