Wakefield Trinity: Overseas tour incentive at end of line for Reece

Trinity began their campaign with a 31-13 win at Hull last weekend and play host to leaders St Helens in two days’ time.

Last Friday’s success was Trinity’s second over Hull inside three weeks – following a 72-10 Super League victory at Mobile Rocket Stadium, Belle Vue – and their first in six visits to KCOM Stadium.

It lifted them to sixth in the table, though they remain eight points outside the play-offs with only 12 left to play for.

Trinity had been 6-0 and 13-7 behind and Lyne felt the way they battled back – in a game which had little riding on it in terms of the table – proved they plan to attack the final two months of the season.

“The thing with the eights is it’s still mathematically possible to make the four, but it’s going to be tough for both us and Hull,” said the 25-year-old who has signed a new contract keeping him at Wakefield until the end of 2022.

“You could kind of look at it like a dead rubber game, but I think the intensity was there and the boys showed we meant business.

“It was a good way to start. We’ve talked about winning more than we lose in the Super-8s so it was good to kick off with a win.

“We spoke about just completing our sets. We started the first half a bit scrappy, but we got to grips with it towards the back end of the game and, when we went down to 12 men [after Max Jowitt was sin-binned], I thought the lads defended really well.”

Trinity’s substitutes, led by hooker Kyle Wood, provided the team with a lift after a slow start and Lyne felt that was crucial. He noted: “Chubs [Craig Huby] has been coming on and whacking blokes and leading us forward and big Pauli Pauli coming on is a real handful.

“Woody around the ruck is a real spark so the bench is coming on and lifting us and I suppose that’s your job when you’re on the bench.

“It is always tough at Hull. It’s not so bad for me because I live there, but people always say it’s a difficult place to come.

“The KCOM is a hostile place so to get the two points is pleasing.”

On a personal note, Lyne needs to maintain his impressive form after being called into the England Knights performance squad. He said: “There’s a tour at the end of the year to Papua New Guinea and Australia and that’s something I want to be involved in, so I want to have a good, strong finish to the season and, hopefully, I can get on that plane.”