Wakefield Trinity: We can't afford to get '˜behind eight ball' '“ Chester
TOP-EIGHT HOPEFULS Wakefield Trinity need to get points on the board quickly, beginning at Huddersfield Giants tonight.
That’s the warning from coach Chris Chester, whose team began their Betfred Super League campaign with a 12-8 home defeat by Hull two weeks ago.
“We don’t want to be chasing our tails, two weeks in and sitting on zero points,” Chester stressed.
“The effort has been good, but that alone isn’t going to win you rugby games.
“It’s important we are smart as well and we make the right decisions.
“If we do that [tonight] I am pretty confident we can come away with a result.
“It was very disappointing to lose the first game, in front of our home crowd, so it’s important we get a result against Huddersfield.”
Chester has described repeating last year’s top-eight finish as the “bare minimum” Trinity are aiming for this season.
“We certainly don’t want to be involved in the middle-eights,” he said. “We feel we’ve got a squad capable of having a good crack at the top-eight and we need to start picking up wins. We’ve got a good opportunity to do that against Huddersfield. Watching them last week and the previous week against Widnes they’ve really changed the way they are playing. They are a lot more conservative than they have been in recent years and a lot more direct.
“We’ve got to match them physically and I’m confident the guys we’ve picked will challenge their big guys.
“It is going to be an entertaining game I think.”
Chester will select from the 17 who lost to Hull FC, plus Chris Annakin and Jordan Crowther. Closed-season signings Scott Grix, Craig Huby and Kyle Wood are all set to play against their former club., whileAnthony England and Matty Ashurst have been given the all-clear after suffering concussion against Hull.
Huddersfield Giants: from McGillvary, Cudjoe. Gaskell, Murphy, Brough, Brierley, Rapira, Hinchcliffe, Wakeman, Ferguson, Leeming, Ikahihifo, Roberts, Ta’ai, Clough, Smith, Dickinson, McIntosh, Mellor.
Wakefield Trinity: from Annakin, Arona, Ashurst, Crowther, England, Fifita, Finn, Grix, Huby, Johnstone, Jones-Bishop, Kirmond, Lyne, Miller, Sio, Tupou, Walker, Williams, Wood.
Referee: Chris Kendall.
Kick-off: Tonight, 8pm.