'Doesn’t normally happen': Wakefield Trinity's ex-Leeds Rhinos man Jay Pitts ready for Grand Final farewell
All the cliches about aging like fine wine or good things coming to those who wait apply to Wakefield Trinity forward Jay Pitts ahead of Saturday’s Grand Final.
The Betfred Super League title decider against Warrington Wolves will be the final game of a professional career which began in Trinity colours way back in March, 2008. “It has been a bit surreal,” Pitts said of preparing to hang up his boots at Old Trafford.
“To say it is coming to an end and then to get to where we’ve got to is pretty special. It is a fairytale way for it to happen, now we just need to get that win.”
The now 36-year-old moved to Leeds in 2009 and had spells with Hull FC, Bradford Bulls and London Broncos before landing at Wakefield in 2020. “My story is a bit different because I have bounced around a few different clubs,” Pitts admitted. “It probably took me until I got here to find my best rugby.
“It doesn’t normally happen the older you get, but I think the back end of my career has probably been my best. It is something I have really enjoyed and to make it to the Grand Final in my last year is pretty special.”
Pitts was at Leeds when they won the 2009 and 2011 Super League titles, but didn’t play in either game. “I was around the whole experience,” he recalled. “I always wanted to get back there. As you get older you start to lose a bit of faith so with it being this late in my career it is pretty good.”
A semi-final at league leaders Wigan Warriors meant the odds were stacked against him getting that opportunity, but Trinity produced one of the great play-off performances to win 33-6. Repeating that this week is a tall order, but Pitts insisted: “I’d like to think we can back it up.
“We’ve been pretty consistent through the back end of the season and I think we are coming together at the right time. Last week was an amazing game for us and if we compete like that I think we will do really well.
“We have just got to take the massive positives and there were still areas in that game we need to be better at so we’ve looked at them as well. We are fully focused on replicating that or going better, because we know Warrington are an amazing team and we need to make sure we are on.”
Trinity started the year as 40/1 outsiders to win the Grand Final and for a spell last month - when they lost three successive games, including a home drubbing by St Helens - it looked like they might miss out on play-off qualification. That is all forgotten now and Wakefield will go into Saturday on a five-match winning run, including a victory over Warrington.
Pitts stressed: “In house we always thought we could get there. Everyone comes in at the start of the year and wants to get to finals and do the best they can, but for me there was just a different belief - the way we have trained and come together as a group - that we could do something special.
“I think over the year we have been really consistent, but those three losses sparked us up a bit as well. We’ve come up against all the best teams and we are battle-ready now because of that. That set us in good stead against Leigh and then Wigan [in the play-offs] and we are hoping we can carry that on into Saturday.
“Wakefield have never been to a Grand Final so everyone in the squad and the club knows how important this is. You just have to look at the fanbase we’ve had this year and the amount of tickets that have gone.
“I think it’s refreshing for the league, but also amazing for Wakefield. It’s great for the club and the city. To get to this point is a massive achievement, but we want to turn that into being the winners.”