It has been a memorable season for Wakefield having finished in their highest-ever Super League position of fourth before reaching the last four of the play-offs with victory of Leigh Leopards.
An inaugural Grand Final appearance at Old Trafford now awaits after a dominant performance over treble-chasing Wigan, who were left shell-shocked as Trin ran in four unanswered tries in a blistering 13-minute spell at the start of the second half on their way to an incredible 33-6 success.
“Delighted,” Powell said in his post-match press conference. “The performance was exceptional. We knew we had to play that well to beat Wigan. They are unbelievable here.
“For us to come here and do what we did is an awesome feeling. We don’t get too carried away with it. We celebrate it and it is only right you celebrate it but then we just focus on next week.
“But wow, what a performance from the boys.”
Wakefield had not won at Wigan since 2017, with the Warriors eyeing the Grand Final trophy to add to their Challenge Cup and League Leaders’ Shield triumphs in 2026.
But Wigan, despite taking an early lead through Brad O’Neill, struggled to match Trinity’s defensive physicality and attacking prowess throughout.
“I thought it would be a tight game,” Powell admitted. “The first half looked that way. We were just in front at half-time. The second half performance was exceptional. They go down to 12, like we did in the first half, and I thought Truey (Jake Trueman) was phenomenal in the second half. He came up with some real quality plays there.
“That period, down to 12, we executed really well. The way we played, how disciplined we were, we put the ball where we wanted to put it with our kicking game and then defensively we fronted up everywhere.
“Every player had an outstanding defensive performance today and that’s what you need to do against Wigan.”
On Jazz Tevaga’s sin-binning in the first half, Powell said: “I thought it was harsh, it is not a genuine trip really. These things happen. We handled it all right.
“We have had a bit of practice with 12 men recently so it probably helped us. We conceded one try but we worked really hard in the remainder of those ten minutes because it can be really dangerous when teams are playing against 12, as we showed in the second half.”
Powell’s Trinity will now face his former side Warrington Wolves in next Saturday’s Grand Final, with a new name guaranteed on the famous trophy.
Detailing his plan for the coming week, the experienced head coach said: “I’ve got a fair bit to do in terms of the media stuff but the boys are tuned in at the moment.
“We haven’t been chasing that much practice. We’ll have a couple of sessions next week, we’ll recover on Monday, train Wednesday, Friday and play Saturday. They are tuned in and we don’t need to change too much.
“The boys are in a good place. They are nice, calm and relaxed.”
Here are some action photos from yesterday’s historic victory over Wigan Warriors.
All photos: John Clifton
1. Daryl Powell reaction v Wigan Warriors and action gallery
Wakefield Trinity's head coach Daryl Powell ahead of kick-off. Photo: JOHN CLIFTON
2. Daryl Powell reaction v Wigan Warriors and action gallery
Mike McMeeken in the thick of the action. Photo: JOHN CLIFTON
3. Daryl Powell reaction v Wigan Warriors and action gallery
Ky Rodwell gets tackled. Photo: JOHN CLIFTON
4. Daryl Powell reaction v Wigan Warriors and action gallery
Jake Trueman had another excellent game for Wakefield Trinity. Photo: John Clifton