Wakefield Trinity coach Daryl Powell pleased competition for places is giving him choices to make

​Head coach Daryl Powell admitted that he has not yet decided who makes his team for the first game of the 2025 Super League season and that he has some big decisions to make with performances in the latest warm-up match giving him food for thought.

One more pre-season match at Doncaster on Sunday will help him determine who is ahead in the pecking order at this time with Powell pleased the way his players are showing up and working in training to give him choices to make.

His toughest selection is at half-back with newcomers Jake Trueman and Olly Russell competing with Mason Lino and all three doing well in the first warm-up games.

“We’ve got a game next week before we get into the season and there’s competition for places, that’s what it’s all about,” said Powell.

“Olly started on Boxing Day, Mason started against Castleford and Olly will start again next week and we’ll mix the combinations up. Then we’ll make a call on who’s the right combination for round one. “It’s what being head coach is about isn’t it, you’ve got to make some tough calls at times.

"There’s still some water to go under the bridge for people to put their hand up. That game next week will cap that off.”

Powell was impressed from what he saw from some of his new signings in the 32-8 win over Castleford.

He said: “I thought Cam (Scott), particularly at the start, was a real stand-out.

“He was pretty stiff defensively and he made numerous line breaks on the back of some of our ball movement.

“Olly Pratt was pretty strong in the other centre as well. Seth (Nikotemo) was pretty strong and Matty Storton, I thought both back-rowers were good.

"Storton has been a real stand-out in our pre-season. “Josh Rourke did some really good things in the second half finding space and we created opportunities all the way through which is great.”

Trinity boss Powell will not get carried away by a pre-season result, but believes it indicated that the club has put together a good squad for 2025.

He explained: ​“It’s hard when you put a new team together, you don’t really know what to expect. But we’ve trained pretty well and we feel like we’ve put a pretty decent squad together.

“I thought the start to the game was class. We got some good field position and we looked pretty clinical, to be honest, which was one of the things I spoke to the boys about before – be organised, be clinical. We nailed that.

“We conceded a couple of softish tries, they didn’t really have much pressure on our line so there are a couple of bits to work on there.

"Overall I thought we were good and I thought our younger players were also really good at the end.

“I know Cas have been talking their young kids for up a bit, so it was pleasing to see some growth there with the younger players. Overall, I’m really pleased.

“Obviously we’ve been out of Super League for a year, we’ve built a new team and I know Cas have got a fair few new signings in there, but for us to be as clinical and execute as well as we did and be quite so stiff defensively, we had great line speed and our contact was good.

“It’s only pre-season and we’re not going to get too carried away, but for us to come up with that performance when we’ve had a short pre-season was pleasing.”

Trinity started the better against the Tigers and were ahead from the fourth minute when Lachlan Walmsley acrobatically finished a well executed move in the corner.

A second try followed from Cam Scott before Cas hit back as Tex Hoy sent Innes Senior over with a cut out pass.

It stayed 10-4 until just before half-time when the hosts struck twice in quick succession through Josh Rourke and Seth Nikotemo to take the lead out to 16 points.

The second half saw both teams make changes after they had fielded strong first half line-ups.

Cas initially improved as Josh Simm cut the arrears with his side’s second try. But Trinity finished the stronger with Ky Rodwell and Caleb Hamlin-Uele going over in the last 10 minutes.

Luke Gale came on for one last final appearance as a substitute to play the last 15 minutes in a Wakefield shirt.