Wakefield Trinity v Huddersfield Giants: Home comforts key as Trinity look to kick on

Trinity recorded their first win since October last year – halting a run of nine successive defeats – with a 28-12 victory over Hull KR at Mobile Rocket Stadium, Belle Vue, six days ago.

When Trinity ended a long losing run last year, they went on to win their next two games and Chester reckons they can match or better that now, particularly with a run of home fixtures coming up.

“I think we’ve played better in other games and lost, but it was nice to get the monkey off our back and get a win,” he said.

“Of the next seven games, we’ve got five at home and it’s an important time for us.

“We have got a good opportunity to flip the season on its head.”

Chester felt a win was coming and believes his side have been heading in the right direction for the last month.

“We’ve been saying for five or six weeks, a result was just around the corner and we just had to keep working hard,” he added.

“We’ve had a really good four or five weeks of training and I’ve said from day one, when we get our best players on the park we are a match for anyone.

“We are slowly, but surely, getting those players back out there.

“There’s some quality – Tom Johnstone, Kyle Wood, Ryan Hampshire, who’s a couple of week away – to come back into the team.

“But it’s nice to get our left-edge firing again, with Bill [Tupou] and Milky [Jacob Miller] and Tash [Matty Ashton].

“I thought Liam Kay was very good last week and our right-edge defended really well as well.

“It was certainly a happier review this week.”

Johnstone was stood down after suffering concussion in successive matches, but is now making steady progress towards his comeback and Wood has been included in the initial squad for tomorrow.

Chris Green, Joe Arundel and Yusuf Aydin are also in contention, along with the 17 who beat Hull KR.

The important thing for Trinity now is to build some momentum, but Giants have been improving after a difficult start under new coach Ian Watson and Chester is expecting a tough afternoon.

“They have got some quality across the park,” Chester warned.

“There’s some big-name players and some who are playing well, especially in their outside-backs – [Ricky] Leutele and [Lee] Gaskell.

“[Aidan] Sezer and [Jack] Cogger are playing well and they are very strong, a very good footy team that throw plenty at you.

“It is massively important, but we are on home turf, we will have a vocal crowd behind us again and fingers crossed we get the job done.”

Giants could give a debut to full-back Olly Ashall-Bott, who returned to them this week after a spell on loan at Wakefield.

Joe Wardle is in Huddersfield’s squad for the first time this season, but Luke Yates is suspended and drops out from the team which beat Leigh.

Wakefield Trinity from: Jowitt, Tupou, Lyne, Kay, Miller, Lino, Fifita, Wood, Arona, Ashurst, Tanginoa, Westerman, Pitts, Battye, Batchelor, Green, Arundel, B Walker, Aydin, Kershaw, Eaves.

Huddersfield Giants from: McGillvary, Jake Wardle, Leutele, McIntosh, Gaskell, Sezer, O’Brien, Lawrence, Edwards, Joe Wardle, Jones, English, Greenwood, Cogger, McQueen, Ashworth, Cunningham, Cudjoe, Gavet, Trout, Ashall-Bott.

Referee: Robert Hicks (Oldham).

Kick-off: Tomorrow, 3pm.

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