Wakefield Trinity have enjoyed a decent return to Super League, currently occupying the final play-off spot in sixth.
However, their season hasn’t been without struggle, with a number of players suffering injuries and plenty of squad rotation.
Many players have been asked to play out of position, but that’s almost galvanised the squad with the underdog tag.
With seven players out of contract at the end of the season, are Wakefield Trinity set for another squad overhaul, or will some be offered new contracts?
Seven Wakefield Trinity players out of contract in 2025
Renouf Atoni
Atoni is currently out with a calf injury and is hopefully due back at the start of August. The 30-year-old hasn’t featured since round nine but had been making an impact in the forwards from the bench before then.
Mathieu Cozza
Cozza has featured 28 times for Trinity since joining from Championship side Featherstone Rovers on a two-year deal back in 2023. Again, he’s become an impact substitute from the bench, often adding some spice to Wakefield’s attack, usually at the end of the first half as the opposition is tiring. We imagine he’ll get a new deal unless coach Daryl Powell wants to make wholesale changes in the forwards.
Jack Croft
A young player who’s made over 60 appearances for Trinity, Croft started this season in the second row, but in recent weeks has moved to a spot on the bench. Again, he’s playing some of his best rugby right now in a Wakefield team that is feeling pretty confident in the second half of the Super League season.
Liam Hood
Hood is rumoured to have caught the attention of Championship side Oldham, and it does seem likely that he will leave ahead of the 2026 season. Wakefield have signed current Brisbane Broncos hooker Tyson Smoothy on a three-year deal from next season, so Hood would have to fight for his spot. At 33, he’s likely looking for somewhere new.
Josh Griffin
Griffin might already be thinking about his career after rugby with his strength and conditioning coaching role at League 1 side Midlands Hurricanes, but he doesn’t seem ready to retire yet.
Matty Russell
The Scotland international has had a well-travelled career, with Wakefield being his eighth club. He spent two months on the sidelines with a rib injury but returned on the wing in round 14. However, Lachlan Walmsley and Tom Johnstone are occupying the wings, and Russell has fallen down the pecking order. At 32, he could still do a job for a struggling Super League side, but it’s unlikely he’ll stay at Trinity.
Lachlan Walmsley
With the likelihood that the number of overseas quota spots increase, it seems likely that Wakefield will re-sign Walmsley. Before the suggestion of increased spot quotes, Walmsley had seemingly been told there wasn’t a 2026 contract on the table and he’s reacted by playing some of the best rugby of his career. That kind of form should see clubs lining up to sign up for 2026 and beyond, even if Wakefield don’t renew his deal.
