Wakefield Trinity suffer as duo join injured list in defeat to Huddersfield Giants

Wakefield went into their final pre-season game, a 16-4 home defeat by Huddersfield Giants last night, without at least eight players who would probably be involved if fit.

And to add to their woes they lost full-back Alex Walker and young forward Yusuf Aydin to injuries in the second half.

Wakefield – whose best player was loose-forward Joe Westerman – registered the only points after the break, but they came on the final play.

Trinity coach Chris Chester said: “I thought we were pretty sluggish in the first 40.

“We just couldn’t contain their middle guys. Huddersfield looked really sharp and we couldn’t handle the ruck speed.

“We rectified a few things at half-time and there wasn’t a great deal between the sides in the second half.”

With star half-back Aidan Sezar calling the shots, Giants were dominant early on.

The opening try came after nine minutes when Darnell McIntosh ran across the face of Trinity’s defence and Joe Wardle romped through a gap from his pass.

Sezer converted and was involved in the build-up to Giants’ second touchdown, on 24 minutes, though it was Lee Gaskell’s long ball which gave Jermaine McGillvary an opportunity to finish strongly at the corner.

Three minutes before the interval Wakefield cracked again when Jake Wardle went over from another nice pass by Sezer.

Having been off target with his conversion attempt from the right-hand touchline following McGillvary’s try, the Aussie nailed the kick from the opposite flank and Giants were full value for their 16-0 interval lead.

In the opening period Wakefield only had sight of Giants’ line through a couple of knock-ons and then back-to-back penalties, which came to nothing when Tom Johnstone was tackled into touch by McGillvary from Ryan Hampshire’s pass.

The time teams are allowed to take at a scrum has been reduced this year from 35 to 30 seconds and Trinity were caught out soon after half-time when the clock ran down and buzzer sounded.

Ashton Golding, the Giants full-back signed from Leeds Rhinos, forced his way over Trinity’s line from the penalty, but was held up.

Golding limped off in the final quarter with a hamstring injury which coach Simon Woolford said will keep 
him out of Super League round one.

Max Jowitt, playing out of position in the halves, went close to scoring a fine solo try for Trinity, but they had to wait until the 79th minute for their only points, Ryan Atkins sending Joe Arundel over. Danny Brough couldn’t convert.

As well as long-term casualties Dave Fifita, Tinirau Arona, George King and Ben Jones-Bishop, Wakefield were without Jacob Miller (ankle), plus Adam Tangata (ribs) and Chris Green (ankle) because of knocks picked up on recent warm weather training camp in Spain.

Matty Ashurst who dropped out just before kick-off after damaging his back.

Of Walker and Aydin, Chester said: “They don’t look great, both have done ankles.”

Wakefield Trinity: Walker, Kershaw, Lyne, Tupou, Johnstone, Hampshire, Brough, Tanginoa, K Wood, Kopczak, Ashurst, Pitts, Westerman. Substitutes: Batchelor, Kirmond, Gwaze, Atkins, Jowitt, Aydin, Arundel, Croft, J Wood.

Huddersfield Giants: Golding, McGillvary, Turner, Jake Wardle, McIntosh, Gaskell, Sezer, English, O’Brien, Matagi, Murphy, Joe Wardle, Lawrence. Substitutes: Russell, Wilson, Clough, Walne, Butterworth, S Wood, I Senior, L Senior, Paga.

Referee: Robert Hicks (Oldham).

Attendance: 852.