WAKEFIELD TRINITY went down 26-6 to St Helens at the DIY Kitchens Stadium this afternoon.
Trinity never really looked like winning and, despite a few controversial moments, were second best throughout.
And for Wakefield boss Daryl Powell, it was a disappointing affair: “I just don’t think we played well enough to be honest.
“We started poor and made way too many errors in good attacking positions and we were way too lateral at the start of the first-half.
“They are too good defensively to do that against. I was disappointed. I don’t think we ever got to the speed of the game.
“One of the key things is for us when you score points, we scored points and gave a try away straightaway. They are killers for momentum. There are some important lessons in there.”
Powell did, however, bemoan the first try which saw Jon Bennison’s forward pass given as a Jack Welsby try.
“The first try is not a try, it’s criminal to give that. I don’t think we deserved to win but there are some things going on that you need to get a grip on.
“It was a forward pass, and you can’t give that upstairs so give it as a three-metre knock on. I still don’t tihnk we win the game but it’s just embarrassing they can’t get those things right.”
Saints were the best team from the first whistle, running up a 14-6 half-time lead before two second-half tries proved too much for Wakefield.
And for Saints head coach Paul Wellens, it was a pleasing result: “I thought it was a great test. When a team comes up from the Championship, they can be misunderstood in thinking they will struggle but that team won’t struggle this year.
“It’s a huge credit to them as a club. This is a tough place to come so I am pleased to see the performance we have got.”
So why did Saints win?
“We had some defensive resilience there apart from the one try we conceded. For long periods that game was in the balance.
“Eamon O’Carroll has worked really hard on giving the guys a defensive plan and Wakefield are a team that really do challenge you.
“There is still a fair bit of improvement in us.”
Wellens also had kind words to say about new recruit Kyle Feldt after the winger impressed with his metres as well as a superb finish late on in the game.
“Some of those carries and his catches from short kick-offs, he almost looked like an AFL footballer.
“Kyle brings a lot to our team and he is quite clearly a gifted finisher. There is a lot more to his game.”
