England World Cup coach Brian McDermott hails Wakefield Trinity's 'astonishing' Super League Grand Final win

The former Leeds Rhinos boss was born in Wakefield and his older brother Paul McDermott had three separate spells with Trinity in the 1970s and ‘80s. Last Saturday’s 23-10 Grand Final victory against Warrington Wolves made the Belle Vue-based club champions for the first time since 1968 and McDermott praised owner Matt Ellis and coach Daryl Powell for getting a sleeping giant back on its feet.

Speaking at a media briefing ahead of the World Cup, which begins next week, McDermott said: “I am from Wakefield so I understand what rugby league means to people in the city. There is a little bit of soccer in there, but it is mainly rugby league.

“It hasn’t been the best-run club over the years, it hasn’t had the best results on the field, but it has always punched above its weight. In my time in the game as a player and a coach, I reckon this is the first time Wakefield have gone about things properly.

“No sustained success can happen without good ownership. He [Ellis] seems to have just gone about it the right way. At the same time, they’ve got a great coach in Daryl who has coordinated a football department to steer them in the right direction which has resulted in a Grand Final win.

“They look a really well-run club, their game day looks really well. I think Wakefield’s ground before Matt Ellis was there, you had to have a quick shower afterwards, but it seems to be a really clean, unique and very entertaining place.”

McDermott - who is without any Trinity players in his World Cup squad, because of injuries - went on: “My brother played for Wakefield when I was younger. When I was growing up in the ‘70s and ‘80s they were a really competitive team in the old first division. They made a Challenge Cup final [in 1979] and before my time were a very successful team.

“They are one of the founding teams of the original competition in 1895. It has got tremendous history and a marvelous following in the city. I’ve watched some of the scenes from the homecoming and I am really envious, I am thinking that would be a great showpiece to be part of.”

Trinity finished fourth in the table before beating Leigh Leopards, league leaders Wigan Warriors and third-placed Warrington to be crowned champions. “What you have got there is a group of players who know to stick to an attack plan,” McDermott noted.

“Daryl has got great history of getting his players to stick to a game plan, an attack plan - he did this at Castleford and seems to be doing the same at Wakefield. It is an astonishing collection of performances back to back.

“I’ll be honest, I thought they hit their mark against Wigan and I thought the best of Wakefield will beat the best of Warrington in the Grand Final, but I just didn’t think Wakefield would be at their best, I didn’t think they’d back it up. But they did, it is astonishing, really well done to them.”