Fine-tuned Keegan Hirst looks to '˜hit the ground running' for Wakefield Trinity

The 29-year-old former Dewsbury, Featherstone and Batley man said he “could not have asked for my first year to go any better” and aims to put the experience gained to good use.

“We set a target for me to play 10 first-team games and, in the end, I played 23 and I started towards the end of the season, so it was really good,” he said.

“It was a bit frustrating at the beginning, with limited game time, but I think that was the coaching staff looking after me and easing me into it. I am hoping to hit the ground running at the start of this season.”

Having been a stalwart at part-time level, Hirst now knows what he is up against in the elite ranks and reckons that will benefit him this term.

“At Championship level you get used to the speed of the game, the type of players and certain things like that, so last year was definitely a learning curve,” he conceded.

“I was coming up against different players and teams and it’s certainly a lot quicker, with a lot less thinking time, but I think towards the second half of the season I started to get my head around it. Hopefully with a good pre-season under my belt, this time I will be ready to go come round one.”

He added: “It was a bit of a shock going from part-time to full-time and I was a bit overweight when I started pre-season, whereas after a full pre-season, a season and another pre-season, I’ve not got any of those excuses. I am in good shape and ready to go.”

Trinity face a tough start at promoted Hull KR in three days’ time, but Hirst believes their squad is a match for anybody in the division.

They have retained most of last year’s group and added some quality, particularly in the pack.

Hirst said: “There’s definitely some weight there, so I think there’s some damage to be done.

“Hopefully Finny and Milky [half-backs Liam Finn and Jacob Miller] can get on the back of that and we can post a few points.”

Lapses at key times in big games cost Trinity a semi-final place last year, but Hirst believes that lesson has been learned. He said: “Those big-reward games, the top-of-the-table clashes, are something maybe the club hasn’t been used to.

“I think last season and the experience we gained will put us in good stead to cope with the pressure and the expectations we have for ourselves now.

“They say you have to lose a Grand Final to win one, so maybe you have to miss out on the top-four to get in.”