Wakefield Trinity on the right track ahead of Hull FC clash, says forward Danny Kirmond

Wakefield Trinity took a massive step in the right direction despite suffering defeat at St Helens last week, insists Danny Kirmond.
Danny Kirmond.Danny Kirmond.
Danny Kirmond.

The 33-year-old forward returned from injury as Wakefield were beaten 26-6 by the league leaders in an encouraging display.

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Trinity matched the 2019 League Leaders’ Shield winners for long periods in their defeat last Friday and Kirmond feels the signs are positive ahead of their home clash with Hull FC on Sunday afternoon.

“Everyone is working hard to get out of this hole that we are in,” said Kirmond.

St Helens was probably the toughest game to start with - coming up against the league leaders who have been the best team by a country mile so far this year.

“The effort was a lot better than the last few games, the defence was pretty good.

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“There are still a lot of things to fix up but we are moving in the right direction.”

Sunday’s foes Hull FC have endured a tough two weeks. They first lost a closely-fought Challenge Cup semi-final to Warrington Wolves before losing 15-14 to Wigan Warriors in their last Super League outing.

Lee Radford’s side sit third in the table, just two points behind second-placed Warrington.

“The chat after St Helens was really good. It was an improvement, but we are still not happy with losing the game,” Kirmond continued.

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“You can never be happy with the loss but we improved and are moving in the right direction.

“The goal this week is to get the win. Hull are sitting in third and are doing pretty well.

“They had a tough game against Wigan, and we put a lot of effort in against St Helens.

“It is going to be tough to back it up but we have had a full week’s prep and we are looking forward to get back at home.

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“I am sure our fans will be there helping us out and bringing a good atmosphere.

“It is always a good atmosphere when you play Hull, they bring a lot of fans over.

“It is a really important game for us and hopefully we get a big crowd there and they can get behind us.”

Kirmond praised the contribution of fellow forward Chris Annakin in St Helens last Friday.

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Annakin, who is one several Trinity players out of contract at the end of the year, was one of Wakefield’s stand-out players in his first start of the season.

Kirmond said: “I thought Chris Annakin was good in a very poor team performance against Wigan and I thought he played really well again against Saints.

“He is the kind of player that gives you energy because he works so hard and I thought he was really good for us.”

Kirmond feels that having new faces in the squad while Trinity’s injured players return to fitness will help them in their fight against relegation.

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Wakefield have brought Morgan Escare and Chris Green in on loan in an attempt to bolster their options.

Escare is expected to start on Sunday but Green has been ruled out of the game by parent club Hull FC.

“You look at other players that have come back, Bill Tupou is starting to get back to his best again, after having a really serious injury,” added Kirmond.

“It always going to take a while to get back to your best but he is starting to play well again. And getting players back and getting players match ready is the important thing.

“It is easy to come back and not quite be game sharp and we are getting players back and back into form which is the important thing.”