“We’ve got some players out there who are not up to it”: Joel Tomkins slams Catalans Dragons side’s effort after Wakefield Trinity loss

Catalans Dragons boss Joel Tomkins has slammed his players following a heavy defeat away to Wakefield Trinity.

The Dragons were on the losing end of a 44-6 scoreline, as Wakefield made Catalans pay with some ruthless attack, especially during the first half.

Tomkins was less than impressed by the attitude of some of his players and shared those thoughts on Sky Sports after the loss.

He said: “Realistically, we’ve got to improve massively to be in contention.

“We’ve got some players out there who are not up to it at the minute.

“That’s not just the young French boys, that’s some of our overseas boys and our English imports as well.

“We’ve got boys who are just not doing it week in, week out, and that’s why we’re turning out scorelines like that.”

Whilst he admitted that it’s still mathematically possible for them to reach the top six, it’s looking like a mountain to climb for the French side.

When asked if there were any positives to take from the second half, where they only conceded three tries compared to the five from the first half, the Catalans Dragons boss states that it was more so Wakefield being a little off, rather than his players improving.

After hearing Jon Wilkin talk about his side, he added: “I just heard Jon there talking about the attitude and effort, that’s the most disappointing thing for me.

“I thought Wakefield just beat us to the punch in the first half, and they just seemed to have more energy. They scrapped, they won the 50/50s.

“That’s what we did last week, and that’s why we got a result of 32-0 last week.

“We turned up tonight as if it’s just going to happen for us. We started the game really poorly, and then we got the result we deserved.”

What’s next for Catalans Dragons as they still aim to make the top six?

Next week, the Dragons face Warrington at home, and Tomkins feels that it might be a make-or-break moment for his squad.

He finished: “Obviously, we’ll be expecting a response from Warrington because on the day, they’re a very good team.

“They’ve got threats all over the field. No doubt after their performance last night (against Salford), they’ll be turning up next week fully loaded and ready to go.

“We’ve got to get back to France, work really hard this week and get ready for a big challenge next week.”

Score final. pic.twitter.com/b3v6eV9mHU

— Dragons Catalans (@DragonsOfficiel) July 5, 2025