Sky Sports pundits Jon Wilkin and Sam Tomkins were left full of admiration after Wakefield Trinity produced a masterpiece performance to dismantle Wigan Warriors 33-6 and secure their first-ever Super League Grand Final appearance.
Daryl Powell’s side tore up the script at The Brick Community Stadium, delivering an 80-minute masterclass in grit, execution, and tactical flair to defeat the bookies favourite and book their place at Old Trafford.
Reflecting on the monumental achievement immediately after the final hooter, Sky Sports pundit Jon Wilkin led the accolades, praising Trinity for ripping up pre-match expectations and seizing their moment on the big stage.
“It was a holy trinity for Wakefield wasn’t it? Endeavour, execution and energy. I thought they got those things so right,” Wilkin said.
“They out-competed Wigan and do you know what? There’s no fortune in this. They’ve made history and they’ve gone and grabbed this piece of history out of Wigan’s hands.
“We, the media, the fans, everybody were just suggesting this was a cake walk and that Wigan would win. Well, Wakefield, Daryl Powell, Matt Ellis and co take a bow. You’ve made history.”
Sam Tomkins echoed those sentiments, admitting he was stunned by the absolute authority and relentless intensity Trinity brought from the opening kickoff to the final whistle.
“Unbelievable, unbelievable, such a complete performance from a Wakefield side. I didn’t believe Wakefield had that in them,” Tomkins remarked.
“It looked like Wigan were almost waiting for Wakefield to fall away at some point and from minute 1 to minute 80 Wakefield brought it straight on the toes of the Wigan side and did a phenomenal job.
“In terms of a complete performance, you will not see a better performance than what we’ve just seen there.”
Pundits hail Powell’s coaching genius and ‘perfect’ execution
Wilkin went on to underline why live sport remains unmatched, highlighting how Trinity summoned an extraordinary collective effort to deliver an almost flawless 80-minute display.
“This is why live sport, reacting to live sport is the most beautiful thing because you could do all the analysis and all the preparation. You can have the best teams but underdogs win,” Wilkin added.
“Teams produce performances, summon effort from places that you don’t know existed and that’s what Wakefield have done here. They’ve just nailed 80 minutes. It was perfect.”
The former Great Britain international also reserved special praise for head coach Daryl Powell, pointing to his ability to blend structural organization with expansive, attractive rugby league.
“I think when he did what he did at Castleford, I think the jury was still out, but there is no denying now Daryl Powell is an exceptional coach that can get a group of men organised and directed towards success and that’s what he’s done,” Wilkin concluded.
“And he’s done it with such style and class. He spoke about the completion stats, like 100% in the second half. It’s easy to do that if you play with no risk but they play with risk. They play the game in a beautiful way. It’s not dull to watch.”
