Wakefield Trinity 80 minutes away from Championship treble after thrilling play-off semi-final triumph over York Knights

In an enthralling, topsy-turvy, knock-out encounter, Trin had to come from 6-7 and 12-13 down to eventually win 22-13 and set up a home Grand Final next weekend with either Toulouse or Bradford Bulls.

The in-form Knights came within 15 agonising minutes of producing a remarkable shock but Derrell Olpherts and Iain Thornley both went over in the last 15 minutes to seal what was probably Trins toughest victory of the season.

Under the guidance of former Trin head coach Mark Applegarth, York roared into the play-offs with 12 wins in their final 16 games, and they recovered well from Max Jowitt’s early try to lead at the break thanks to a converted Oli Field try and Liam Harris’ drop goal.

Luke Gale restored Wakefield’s lead but Ata Hingano gave the Knights hopes of an unlikely triumph. That was until Olpherts’ dramatic intervention, with Thornley’s try allowing Trin fans to think about a possible treble following the League Leaders’ Shield and the 1895 Cup already safely locked in the trophy cabinet.

Daryl Powell, who took over from Applegarth at Belle Vue following the club’s relegation from Super League, made a couple of changes to the side which thrashed Doncaster two weeks ago with Liam Hood replacing Harvey Smith at hooker while Thomas Doyle came in for Liam Kay on the bench.

And that extra week rest - with York beating Widnes Vikings in their play-off eliminator last weekend - seemed to give Wakey the advantage as they produced a frenetic start with Jermaine McGillvary and Jowitt going on positive, powerful runs, before the two combined after ten minutes to allow Jowitt an easy try.

Before kick off, Jowitt was 13 points away from breaking the all-time record of most points scored by a player in a single rugby league season. By the end of this magnificent contest, he was three points away with one game remaining.

Thoughts of the record were soon at the back of Trin minds, however, as York produced an instant response with Field going over after being found by Harris.

Chants of “It’s all gone quiet over there,” could be heard from the strong contingent of York fans among the 6,000 plus crowd. The cheers from the home fans had turned to groans of frustrations as errors crept into Wakefield’s game. Coupled with the fact York’s defence was on song, Trin, despite constant possession and pressure, could not break through.

Jowitt knocked on when trying to scramble over the line before throwing the ball forward when attempting a cut-out pass just as the referee signalled six-again.

The Championship’s player of the year then dropped a high bomb which allowed York a set before the half-time hooter. It resulted in Harris striking a drop-goal which gave the visitors an eye-catching 7-6 lead.

Powell had said before the game that his side “needed to be at our best” if they were to progress into next weekend’s showpiece. They were certainly in a game.

York had come within a mere 16 points of Wakey in Round 24. It was a lot closer this time around.

The errors continued into the second half as McGillvary knocked on. But after York’s Connor Bailey threw the ball straight out of play when in a good position, the home side took advantage when club captain Matty Ashurst and Gale - two players who won’t be at Trin in 2025 - combined to allow the latter in for a much-needed score.

But York responded well, forcing two goal-line drop-outs before Hingano streaked over after Jordan Thompson broke through the home side’s defensive line for a 13-12 lead.

The last time York had won at Belle Vue was in November 1984. Nearly 40 years ago. And a stunning victory was nearly sealed through Will Dagger but he was a metre short.

It looked like it was going to be a nail-biting 15 minutes for Trin but they were given a lifeline as Joe Brown slipped just as he was about to claim Mason Lino’s kick, allowing Oliver Pratt to release Olpherts into the corner.

And the celebrations could really begin when Thornley latched onto another Lino kick with five minutes remaining.

Trin are now just 80 minutes away from claiming the treble.

Wakefield: Jowitt, McGillvary, Thornley, Pratt, Olpherts, Gale, Lino, Bowden, Hood, Rodwell, Ashurst, Griffin, Pitts

Interchanges: Atoni, Uele, Vagana, Doyle

Tries: Jowitt, Gale, Olpherts, Thornley

Conversions: Jowitt (3)

York: Dagger, Brown, Field, Williams, Lineham, Hingano, Harris, Thompson, Jubb, Ta’ai, Dee, Bailey, Cunningham

Interchanges: Santi, Michael, Daley, Martin

Tries: Field, Hingano

Conversions: Dagger (2)

Drop Goal: Harris