Wakefield Trinity boss Daryl Powell makes 'something special' vow ahead of Festive Challenge v Leeds Rhinos

Trinity will play their first game since being relegated from Betfred Super League last September when they visit Leeds Rhinos for the annual Wetherby Whaler Festive Challenge on Boxing Day. Powell, who had been out of the sport since leaving Warrington Wolves at the end of July, was appointed in the autumn when new owner Matt Ellis completed his takeover.

The former Leeds, Featherstone Rovers and Castleford Tigers boss has regularly crossed swords with Wakefield as an opposition player or coach, but insists Trinity are heading into 2024 as a “completely different club”. The new main stand at Belle Vue will be fully open when the competitive season begins and Powell has assembled a new-look playing squad and backroom staff.

“There’s a lot of things happening around the ground and we are proactively working hard for future recruitment, which we see as key,” the coach stated. “Matt, the owner is great; he loves it and he and his family do things in a really classy way.

“It is a good challenge and a great opportunity for me to get back in and show what I can do. And not just me - I’ve built a great staff and it is a great opportunity to do something special, I think.”

Wakefield’s competitive season begins away to York Knights in the 1895 Cup on Sunday, February 4. They kick off their Betfred Championship campaign with a home clash against Bradford Bulls on Friday, March 15.

“We came in late into the recruitment cycle and we’ve had a couple of late operations so we are a little bit down on troops,” Powell admitted. “But we have trained hard and the boys have bought into everything we are doing.

“Boxing Day is our first challenge and it’ll be interesting to see how we go about it. There’ll be some new faces for the fans to have a look at, but we are down at half-back with Mason Lino missing and Luke Gale suspended. We are going to go and play in the spirit we want to play in, be committed to everything we do and then we’ll see how we go.”

Powell admitted he doesn’t expect his side to be at their best with ball in hand this early in pre-season. He stressed: “We haven’t done a massive amount of 13 v 13, because we’ve been down on troops. We are still building a squad and we’ve got the [dual-registration] relationship with Wigan that we won’t be utilising on Boxing Day.

“But I think it’s a good chance to see where we’re at attitude-wise as much as anything. It is tough for players because it’s Christmas; it’s a traditional fixture, but back when I used to play it was part of your league campaign. You used to play on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day and that’s just how it was. I’ve spent many times on orange juice on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve, so I know what it feels like.”