Wakefield Trinity boss Chris Chester makes key changes on and off the field

REGARDLESS of the result tomorrow night, once the Wakefield Trinity team bus has returned from Hull College Craven Park, head coach Chris Chester will be doing his utmost to avoid turning on his laptop.
Chris Chester.Chris Chester.
Chris Chester.

Of the many lessons he learned last season, perhaps the most important was the need to “switch off” – in both senses – and get clear from the daily grind and travails of the job.

That is not as easy as it sounds; any head coach will tell you, the role, in essence, can be 24/7.

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However, as Chester begins his fifth season in charge of his hometown club, the 41-year-old realises there has to be a compromise.

Wakefield's Jay PItts.Wakefield's Jay PItts.
Wakefield's Jay PItts.

Trinity were embroiled in a relegation fight last season, only securing their top-flight spot on the final night of the campaign.

They have made some astute recruits in a bid to try and ensure they are nearer the other end of the table in 2020 and Chester is rightly looking forward to kicking the season off at one of his former clubs Hull KR.

He told The Yorkshire Evening Post: “I learned a few things last year.

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“From a recruitment point of view, I certainly got a lot of things wrong going into it and we had three or four guys who could potentially break down at any point.

Joe Westerman.Joe Westerman.
Joe Westerman.

“This time we have brought in some youth but also some experience and leadership; we’re a quite quiet group so people like Joe Westerman from Hull and Jay Pitts – who captained that London Broncos side really well – have helped us there.

“But also I know this year we have to go into games with guys 100 per cent fit; a few times last season we had players who weren’t ready or were playing busted. Making good signings should help us there.

“But, personally, the main thing for me is just making sure I don’t take my work home with me. It can be a lonely place as a coach, particularly when things aren’t going well.

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“But once I leave that ground or get off the bus from an away game, I have to leave everything there and make sure I don’t take it home. It is very difficult; I get my laptop out pretty much straight away when I get on the bus or that night when I get home I’ll try and get a bit of work done.

“What I’ve learned is there’s nothing more important than your family and, to some extent, last year that was put to one side. I have to find that right balance this year.”

What is important for his side is that they “silence” the Rovers fans from the off tomorrow night. It is sure to be an emotional occasion given what has happened to the hosts’ popular player Mose Masoe.

The giant prop is still in Wakefield’s Pinderfields Hospital, facing fears he may not walk again after suffering a freak spinal injury in the recent friendly between the two clubs. Chester names Romain Navarrete, the France prop who completed a season-long loan from Wigan Warriors on Monday.

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But fellow new recruit Alex Walker plus Ben Jones-Bishop, Dave Fifita, Tini Arona, Chris Green and George King remain sidelined.

Rovers are understood to be ready to give debuts to the likes of Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Greg Minikin and Will Maher while Mitch Garbutt could return from injury.