Wakefield Trinity aiming to become a “top 4 Super League team”

Wakefield Trinity have caught the eye this season, both on the field and off it. Since relegation last season, they have been taken over by new owner, Matt Ellis, who has gone about transforming the once ailing West Yorkshire side.

On the field, Wakefield look set for an immediate return to Super League. They have won 12 from 12 in the Championship so far this year and, whilst promotion will not be solely decided on their league position, they tick a lot of the boxes in the IMG criteria.

Their recruitment has also caught the eye in recent weeks, as they have pulled off a number of transfer coups as they look to re-establish themselves in Super League in 2025. Having already secured the signings of England internationals, Mike McMeeken and Tom Johnstone, Wakefield have also announced Cam Scott and Olly Russell will join the club for next season.

Now, it appears that the club has their sights set on the top end of the Super League table.

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Wakefield Trinity are targetting the top four in Super League

Prior to finally succumbing to relegation at the end of the 2023 season, Wakefield had been perennial strugglers in the division, seeming to be constantly threatened by the drop.

However, if the club does secure promotion, their aim is not simply to survive next season. Speaking on the club’s YouTube channel, Wakefield’s Recruitment and Salary Cap Manager, Ste Mills, has outlined their ambitions for the coming years. He stated that the club intends to break into the top four in Super League. Mills said:

“With some key additions in the older age with Mike McMeeken et cetera, you know, the whole philosophy is to go for young players we want this team to be together for three four five years and hopefully more along with the coaching staff so that’s the whole philosophy around everything.

“You know we want players who’ve got really high ceilings, who can get better as time goes on and we back our coaching and the coaching team to get these players better. We want to turn these boys into international players. That’s what they want, that’s what we want and we’re all on the same path.

“We want to be a top four Super League team. We’re not happy to be at the bottom of the Super League next year.”

Trinity looking to build core of young English talent

Speaking specifically about the signing of Russell and Scott, Mills explained that one of the key tenets of the club’s recruitment strategy was to develop a core which contained some of the game’s brighest English talent.

Mills believes that, in Russell and Scott, Wakefield have acquired players who are capable of delivering in the present and the future. Mills stated:

“Yeah, two key additions for the team for next year and the following years. The big thing is both [are] British boys, we feel the real key values to our squad.

“In key positions, obviously, Cam being a young English centre who can play a back row too, I just think he’s got so much potential and we’re talking about a kid who’s 23, 24 here, he’s got so many years ahead of him and he’s not a player at the back end of his career.

“It’s an exciting signing and the same with Olly, a young lad again, he’s played a lot of games in the Super League for his age, a real leader, real talker with the team, it’s what we need in the squad for next year.”