Wakefield Trinity coach Daryl Powell has compared their latest overseas recruit to a former Super League Dream Team player, adding that recruitment for 2026 isn’t necessarily over.
Trinity confirmed their third overseas signing ahead of the 2026 season with Queensland Cup standout Tray Lolesio of Redcliffe Dolphins penning a two-year deal with the West Yorkshire outfit.
It’s a piece of recruitment that will get Wakefield fans excited given how they’ve watched Caius Faatili develop after signing in similar circumstances and becoming a Trinity folk hero already.
The 22-year-old has now been talked up by his future head coach with Daryl Powell speaking to the media about the signing and how it came about.
Speaking ahead of Friday’s game against Huddersfield Giants, Powell explained: “Typically, what we’ve been doing in the Australian market is looking for players who we think fit our mold and the way we want to play.
“Trey came up, we spent a lot of time watching him and talking to him. We decided that he was the right kind of player.”
Wakefield Trinity still looking for 2026 signings as recruitment praised
Expanding on what type of player Lolesio is, Powell compared him to one of the best Super League props in recent years in something that will certainly excite Trinity fans.
Powell declared: “He reminds me a little bit of Tom Amone, he’s a similar sort of player to him. We feel like he’d be perfect for us.
“He’s a real goer in the middle unit, both sides of the ball, he’s got high energy, high work rate. We’re looking forward to his next season. We’re really confident with what we’ve got this year, but I think he’s a great addition.”
Talking about their recent recruitment, he said: “I think we’ve got a decent strike rate at the moment of players from Australia. Caius (Faatili) has come over and nobody really knew anything about him. He’s gone real well, once he’s got fit, he’s an explosive player. You can say the same about Ky (Rodwell), Caleb (Uele) and Isaiah (Vagana), I think they’ve all done really well.”
Powell was also asked if Lolesio is set to serve as a Renouf Atoni replacement with the off-contract prop reported to be leaving and heading to rivals Castleford Tigers.
Answering diplomatically, Powell responded: “Obviously, I wouldn’t talk too much about people that are leaving at this point.
“I just think he’s an addition. You need a lot of middle unit players and we’ve seen that this year. He’d be class for us, I think.
“There’s a bit of talk about people leaving at the moment. For me at the moment, I’m just real focused on getting the job done on a week-to-week basis. I’m not worrying too much about the end of the season, who’s going to be here and who’s not.”
Having recently signed Jazz Tevaga and re-signing Lachan Walmsley, Wakefield are quickly moving close to cap but Powell confirmed there is still room for Trinity if they wish to do more business.
He explained: “We won’t be far off, but I think we’ve still got some cap space left. At the moment, we’re looking like we’ll have a pretty good squad next year. You never say never do, there’s always some little bits and pieces of business to be done.”
𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙏𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙮 𝙇𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙤!!
The powerful 22-year old will join the club on a two-year deal at the start of 2026!
👉🏻 https://t.co/DfMtljjAyf#UpTheTrin pic.twitter.com/Mt3GqZT3gr
— Wakefield Trinity (@WTrinityRL) July 16, 2025
