One key player will miss the start of Wakefield Trinity’s play-off campaign – if they qualify – but another has been given the all-clear for tomorrow’s final game of the regular season away to Salford Red Devils.
Caleb Hamlin-Uele has been sidelined since July after suffering a calf muscle injury in training. Trinity coach Daryl Powell had been “hopeful” he could return this year, but revealed the prop won’t be available next week, if Wakefield have a game.
“He has had a couple of bits,” Powell said. “He got a calf injury that was pretty serious and then his shoulder. While he has been off he has had his shoulder operated on to release the nerve.
“It would be a risk and I think – the way the boys are at the moment – unless something happens to us it would be hard for him to get in there.”
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The team boss had better news on fellow forward Seth Nikotemo. He limped out of last week’s stunning 28-12 hammering of table-topping Hull KR, but has been named in an unchanged 21 for tomorrow.
Powell insisted: “I think he will be fine. He has trained all week, he had a little bit of something there, but nothing major so he will be good.
“He was hobbling around a bit, but I think it was more the instant surprise of getting the roll of the ankle. It’s an ankle he has had a bit of trouble with before, but he is good.”
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Trinity will be guaranteed sixth place – and an elimination tie at the third-placed finishers, on Saturday, September 26 – if they win tomorrow.
The job could be done before then should Hull FC lose tonight’s (Thursday) home meeting with Catalans Dragons, but Powell insisted he has no plans to rest anyone, even if there’s nothing riding on the result at Salford.
“I felt what we did last week was pretty good so I don’t want to change too much about that,” Powell said.
“I know some teams will be resting at the moment, but I don’t see that for us. We’ve had a couple of weeks off not that long ago and we want to get a bit of momentum about us.”
