Leeds Rhinos threat assessed as Wakefield Trinity prepare for 'close, tight' derby thriller
Wakefield Trinity are geared up to battle right until the 80th minute tonight when they face Leeds Rhinos for the third time this season.
It is one win each so far, with just two points between the teams on aggregate going into Thursday’s huge Betfred Super League round 20 derby at DIY Kitchens Stadium, Belle Vue. Trinity made a storming return to the top-flight with a 14-12 win when the sides met in their opening game of the season, in February, but Leeds gained revenge by toughing out a 22-18 victory three months later.
Both teams are on the back of a big win last Friday and Trinity’s assistant-coach Michael Shenton stressed: “We have prepared for a close game, very tight. Leeds are difficult to break down and dangerous with the ball so we have to be on it. Our attack has got to be flowing and we have to nail it to get points against them. They test you everywhere so we have to be switched on for 80 minutes, no knock-offs.”
There’s more than bragging rights on the line in the decider. Trinity will climb into the all-important top-six if they win, while Rhinos could go above Leigh Leopards into third spot in the table. Both sides have injury problems in the pack, but Shenton insisted: “Everyone is desperate to play in this game.”
Trinity won 46-10 at Huddersfield Giants six days ago and don’t have a fixture next weekend. Shenton added: “Leeds at home is probably one of the biggest games we will have this year and it’s definitely one we need to get after. In the context of our season, it is an important game - we don’t want to go into next week’s break on the back of a poor performance or a loss.
“We are just looking at building on what we did last week. Leeds are one of the most consistent teams, in everything they do. You can see their coach has had a big influence on them and the players are full of confidence. We know what we are going to get from them, so we have to be very good.”
Trinity briefly occupied the final play-off spot following their result at Huddersfield, but rivals Hull FC unexpectedly moved a point and place above them, knocking Wakefield down to seventh, with a win away to defending champions Wigan Warriors the following day. Shenton said that shock result proved Trinity have to secure a top-six finish on their own merits, rather than hoping other results go their way.
“It is in our hands,” he stated. “We can’t hope someone else does the job for us - that game showed that. If we want to be a top-six team we have got to do it ourselves. Every game we play now is important; every chance we get, we have got to win. There’s been a few games this year we haven’t been able to close out, so we’ve got to learn to do that moving forward.”