Championship Grand Final preview: Daryl Powell hoping for another ‘special’ moment with Wakefield Trinity stars on cusp of terrific treble

The former Leeds Rhinos leader claimed three consecutive League Leaders’ Shield’s with Featherstone Rovers before helping Castleford Tigers embark on one of their most successful campaigns in recent years in 2017.

“Wherever I’ve been there have been real high moments,” Powell reflected.

And 2024 is “up there”. He has already expertly guided Trin to the League Leaders’ Shield as well as the 1895 Cup, and are now on the cusp of an unprecedented second tier treble.

But he can’t rank his accomplishments.

He revealed: “There were high moments at Leeds. There was at Cas, there was at Featherstone. They’re all sort of special. I’d never put them in order to be honest.

“You’re around great teams and squads of players at times and having staff who you bond with - and they’re all as special as anything that happens at the end of a season.

“This has been up there with the best group of people I’ve spent time around and that’s been pretty special.”

A magnificent season, however, nearly (well, 15 minutes to be exact), came to a crushing premature end in last weekend’s eventual win over the Knights.

“It was like The Apprentice cafe after they lose a challenge in the dressing room,” Powell said. “They were pretty down. But those games are about winning.”

And Powell’s contestants have responded in training in the build-up to tonight’s final.

He said: “The mood has been great. Everybody is ready for the challenge. We got a wake-up call last week.

“The boys are in a great place. Everything is in place. The boys know what they need to do. They have been outstanding all year.

“They just need to deliver one of their best performances of the season and we know we will be difficult to beat.”

Standing in their way, a Toulouse side who not only finished runners-up to Wakey in the Championship, albeit by a mammoth 13 points, but also were the only side to beat them in the league across 26 games.

“They did give us a touch-up,” admitted Powell. “We’re aware of that. Their backfield boys are really good, as good as some Super League teams to be honest.

“We know we need to defend well. Our first three tackles need to be outstanding. Marion (Anthony Marion) at 13 is one of the best players in the competition.

“Our completions were terrible last week. We know it’s a Grand Final and we know we have got to complete high and put pressure on the opposition and not ourselves. We have spoken about that a lot and we have trained pretty well.

“We know it will be a tough game but we know it is going to be a tough game for them as well.”

There won’t be a promotion party on the Belle Vue pitch should Trin complete the treble this evening, with clubs having to nervously wait until next Wednesday for IMG’s Super League 2025 announcement.

But Powell’s focus is simply on what happens from 7pm tonight.

Thanking his players, new owner Matt Ellis and the “outstanding” fans, Powell said:

“I haven’t even gone into that (IMG). For us, all we can do is win the game. I don’t think there is any added pressure needed to be put onto players with that. As I understand it, with whatever happens, we’ve got a pretty strong chance of being in Super League next year.

“Everything that is happening here is what IMG was all about so why would it not be the case? But that’s beyond me.

“All I do is say, ‘Boys, go and do your jobs’. That’s all my remit is. The rest of it I’ll leave to Matt and everybody else.

“There’s a great feel, excitement and vibe around the place. The club is going somewhere this year. It’s almost a rebirth, new ownership, winning consistently, which has been a while at Wakey.

“The boys have been phenomenal in what they’ve delivered. Matt and his family have given us everything we need to do the job. Here we are, final game, we have just got to take the opportunity.”

He added: “I imagine Saturday will be a pretty special atmosphere. The fans have been outstanding all year and have really got behind the boys.

“They gave me some strange chants about being from Cas but they’re sort of leaving me alone at the moment!

“I can’t speak highly enough of what they’ve done for us this year.”