After playing first team rugby for six different teams in as many seasons, centre Corey Hall says he feels “respected” at Wakefield Trinity.
At 22, Hall is in his third spell with the Belle Vue club, having been in the youth system there before returning to play for the senior side in 2022 and 2023.
He also spent time in Wigan Warriors’ academy, made his Betfred Super League debut for Leeds Rhinos and had spells on loan/dual-registration with York Knights and Featherstone Rovers.
A transfer to Hull KR ended his second stint at Trinity and he featured on loan for Castleford Tigers last year. Hall was back at Wakefield this season to begin a three-year deal and the Sheffield-born three-quarter insisted there’s nowhere he’d rather be.
“Wakefield has always been like a home to me, because I started my journey here at 14 years old,” he said. “It has always had a place in my heart and my family’s heart. I’d love to be here a long time.
“I feel respected here, everyone’s respected in the team and everyone respects each other. That is probably one of the best things about this team.”
Hall has featured in Trinity’s four Super League games so far and insisted: “I am just happy to play. The staff and everyone here has been so supportive of me, I can’t thank them enough – people like Tom Johnstone, who is always tipping me up on stuff.
“I look to him for a bit of advice and [coaches] Daryl Powell and Michael Shenton were both class centres, so being able to take things from those two is massive for my game.
“I just want to keep improving every week, I am always working on my extras at training and I just want to get one per cent better than I was the day before.”
Trinity take a break from the league on Sunday when they visit Huddersfield Giants in Betfred Challenge Cup- round four. Hall made his debut for Leeds in 2020, a few weeks before their Wembley win over Salford Red Devils and he was at Hull KR two years ago, when they were Challenge Cup runners-up after being pipped by Leigh Leopards in golden-point extra-time.
He didn’t feature in either final, but the taste he had in 2023 has made him hungrier to take part on the big stage. “I was grateful and happy to have that experience,” he said of the Robins’ Wembley adventure.
“When you go to games like that, you look around at the atmosphere, the venue, the build-up to the game and it makes you think ‘I want to be a part of it’. It was an unreal experience, the result was a bit sad, but it makes you want to be in these games again and again.
“We want to give something back to the fans and the community. The best way we can do that is by winning trophies and the Challenge Cup is an opportunity to do so. We believe in ourselves and what we are doing and it is showing with the results.”
Having won both their away games so far this year – at Leeds Rhinos and Warrington Wolves – the trip to John Smith’s Stadium holds no fears, but Hall insisted Sunday’s all-Super League tie is a huge challenge.
Giants have yet to get off the mark in the league, but he warned: “It’s going to be a tough game. Any Super League team is going to be tough. They like to throw the ball about so we have got to prepare for their best team – that’s all we can do.”
Wakefield Trinity, though, are in confident mood following last Sunday’s outstanding 30-16 victory at Warrington.
“We took a lot of belief from the last game and we’ll continue to build each week,” Hall said. “Who knows where we might end up? We are just focussing on each week and being better than we were the week prior.
“A week can be a long time, you can get a lot of preparation and work done so if you continue to build each week, that is progression. As a team, that’s what we want to do – every member of the squad wants to get better and the staff as well.”
