Action gallery and Daryl Powell reaction: ‘Exemplary’ energy and attitude sees Wakefield Trinity crush Catalans Dragons

That was the viewpoint of head coach Daryl Powell who saw his side run in eight tries in a dominant 44-6 win at a packed-out DIY Kitchens Stadium.

Lachlan Walmsley and Josh Rourke both scored two tries apiece, with Max Jowitt, Josh Griffin, Mason Lino and Tom Johnstone all joining in the fun as Trinity delivered a statement victory in front of a bumper, and electric, 8,625 crowd - Belle Vue’s highest attendance since 2013.

Five of the tries came in the first half as Trin raced into a 28-0 lead, before the French visitors slowed Powell’s men down in the second period.

Assessing the game he said:

“I thought we were sublime in the first half. That’s probably as good a half as we’ve played all year. We scored early and then had full control of the game. We defended really well and we were pretty sharp with the ball.

“We were a bit loose in the second half and they made it a bit scrappy. We could have easily run away with it. But I was really pleased as our attitude was great for 80 minutes.

“It’s a really pleasing win. They probably needed to win it more than us to be honest but I thought we showed more will to win the game which was really pleasing. There was a real drive about us.

“We were really physical when we didn’t have the ball and we needed to be, they had the biggest bench ever. We had to deal with that. They have the most offloads in the comp and we shut them down. Our offload game caused them no end of trouble. It was a flip of a coin.

“Our energy and attitude were both exemplary. And there is a chance we can keep getting better.”

Trinity’s pack was boosted by the return of captain Mike McMeeken, Caleb Hamlin-Uele and Tommy Doyle.

“I thought both (McMeeken and Hamlin-Uele) were outstanding,” revealed Powell. “Caleb was responsible for some of those offloads, he was strong in that area.

“It allowed us to bring Caius (Faatili) off the bench and he is a handful and having Tommy Doyle back as well gives us more options which is something we haven’t really had.

“It was great to see those boys back out there today.”

The excellent win lifted Trin into sixth position, the last play-off spot, at the expense of Hull FC. The pair meet in a crucial contest this coming Thursday.

“I think we're in a good position,” Powell said. “But there's a lot of water to go under the bridge and a lot of tough challenges.

“If we keep playing like we did in the first half, then we'll be pretty tough to beat. We’re at the start of our journey. We’re in a good position - probably a better position than anybody apart from us thought we were going to be.

“We need to keep on being consistent.”

On Belle Vue’s highest attendance in 12 years, Powell said of the raucous home fans:

“The last two home games have been electric. The club is showcasing an event. It was a good crowd and a chance to get some new fans in. That’s important.

“I just love it when they get up and sing ‘stand up if you love the Trin’ and what that feels like. There’s a real glow about the place which I really like.

“The players are feeding off the fans and the fans are feeding off the players. It is pretty special when you have got that.”

Take a look through these photos from yesterday’s game. All photos were captured by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com