Wakefield Trinity Daryl Powell has lifted the lid on the thinking behind the club’s retention and recruitment of players for 2026.
Trinity will be a third of the way through their Betfred Super League campaign after Saturday’s game at Catalans Dragons and Powell confirmed plans are already being put into place for next year.
In February, Trinity announced the signing of Brisbane Broncos hooker Tyson Smoothy on a three-year deal beginning next term and more new faces are expected to be revealed in the coming months.
Speaking at his weekly preview press conference on Wednesday, Powell confirmed player retention for next year is “on-going” and the club are discussing “a couple of different bits and pieces” around recruitment.
“Recruitment and retention is absolutely pivotal, it is something we are working through and need to get right,” he vowed.
“It is right up there as one of the most important things you need to get right in your organisation.
“You sign players for two or three years and the decision has got to be right, otherwise you end up with players who don’t fit or their motivation rises and dips.”
Daryl Powell explains recruitment process at Wakefield Trinity
He also stressed: “Age is always one that’s important, getting that right. I know myself, at one point in my playing career I came to a point where I was thinking ‘is it now, or is it next year’?
“All these things come into it, you have got to get the balance of your squad right and the right personalities.
“You always want to get the right type of person, that is fundamental. It is pretty easy to unravel a squad and a team dynamic by getting your recruitment wrong. That’s why it takes a bit of time to work through it and make sure you get it right.”
Powell pointed out his first appointment after becoming coach, ahead of the 2024 season, was recruitment and salary cap manager Steve Mills.
“Having someone looking after that while I am trying to support and coach the team and our team of coaches is important,” he added.
“You need someone who is solely looking at what you do with your squad. I know him pretty well and I trust he is going to do an outstanding job in that regard. I think everything we’ve seen so far, he has been on the money.”
On how that relationship works, Powell stated: “Nobody comes to the club without me rubber stamping it.
“Millsy sends me [names of] players every single week. It is a really fluid part of the process, making sure you are keeping tabs on players and you are constantly looking to see if someone’s coming on the market who may make us a better team.”
📃 Daryl Powell has named the Trinity squad that will travel to the South of France to take on Catalans Dragons on Saturday!!
👉🏻 https://t.co/tVg0W6WIQN#UpTheTrin pic.twitter.com/R9QMU2i3vY
— Wakefield Trinity (@WTrinityRL) April 24, 2025
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