Wakefield Wildcats 36 Hull KR 20: Mika is a big hit but Hull KR hurt by Cockayne

Hull KR’s Con Mika was the unfortunate individual at the centre of the drama on Saturday evening.

Trying to put a big hit on Wakefield’s charging prop Justin Poore straight from the kick-off, the New Zealand second-row only managed to clash heads with team-mate Lincoln Withers.

After almost a five-minute delay for treatment, the Rovers stand-off was stretchered off severely hampering the visitors’ best laid plans for a first win since last July.

In the 45th minute, from the re-start after Dean Collis’s all too easy try had put Wakefield 
24-10 ahead, Mika did at least make contact with an opponent, flattening the hosts’ impressive prop Kyle Amor.

At first glance, it seemed just like a typically robust challenge from the physical former Newcastle Knight which caused the ball to come flying loose.

However, as Amor lie receiving medical aid before groggily being led away, replays highlighted how Mika had somehow made the ‘tackle’ with his own head flying towards the opponent.

Should such collisions be viewed literally as attacks to the head and deemed high or was it just simply an accidental clash in the process of enacting a tackle?

Referee Steve Ganson gave Trinity a penalty but put the incident on report, probably realising the match review panel that sits this morning will have a far better chance of getting to the bottom – or top, as it was – of it all.

Whatever the outcome, and struggling Rovers can ill-afford the further absenteeism that any suspension will bring, it certainly brings new meaning to the old adage “he got his head in the wrong position.”

However, as a far more determined Trinity responded fittingly after their opening debacle at Bradford, this proved a peculiar game in general with plenty of such idiosyncrasies.

Take the rather bizarre handling of the new team warning edict when a side is continually infringing.

Rovers’ Graeme Horne, rightfully, was the player that copped a yellow card on behalf of his team in the 17th minute after four penalties in quick succession as Trinity camped on their line.

The game was scoreless then but the hosts took full advantage of his absence.

By the time he had returned and with a little help from the flair of scrum-half Tim Smith, they had surged 18-0 ahead courtesy of tries from Paul Aiton, ex-Hull FC centre Reece Lyne getting his first for the club and Peter Fox who latched on to some terrific work from captain Danny Kirmond.

However, there was some bafflement when Kirmond himself was yellow-carded in a similar vein in the 48th minute.

Admittedly, Wakefield had been handed a team warning before the break but it was Rovers who had conceded the previous three penalties before Ganson brandished the card.

Trinity were further bemused as assistant coach James Webster had asked the official at half-time if the warning – which confusingly has no set length – would carry on into the second period.

Ganson said it would not but it later emerged, according to Wildcats staff, he had thought Webster was still in his previous role as a Hull KR assistant and, so, believed he was enquiring about the East Yorkshire club’s discipline.

An easy mistake to make but, eventually, it was another former Hull KR employee who settled this fluctuating tie regardless.

The visitors, who had rallied in the first half with tries from the impressive Corey Paterson and Craig Hall, had clawed their way back to 24-20 when Trinity were down to 12 men, Josh Hodgson and namesake Dave both crossing to set up a tense final quarter.

However, once Ben Cockayne – sacked by Rovers for disciplinary reasons 18 months ago – collected Smith’s fine cut-out pass in the 61st minute it seemed Wakefield would prevail.

When the hard-running winger added a second soon after, Horne having conceded possession, there was no doubting the result meaning his hat-trick at the death after Paul Sykes’s break was merely a much-deserved bonus.