Wakefield Trinity v Salford: Spirited Trinity turn their attention to home comforts
The 16-12 success at St Helens last week was the West Yorkshire club’s first victory of any sort since July, having endured an 11-match losing sequence.
However, their winless record at Belle Vue stretches back even further still to May 15 last year when they pipped Catalans Dragons 36-28.
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Hide AdThere has been, then, no home comforts to speak of at all, just seven successive defeats, something they will seek to address when Salford Red Devils arrive there tomorrow.
“We feel it had been coming for a number of weeks,” insisted head coach Chris Chester, on that hard-fought triumph at a rain-lashed Saints.
“We weren’t far away against Hull (12-8) and our game-management against Huddersfield (24-16) let us down so it was pleasing to come away from St Helens with a result.
“The last time we got one there was 2009 and it’s only been done there twice in 30-odd years so naturally, we’re pleased.
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Hide Ad“It’s a big relief to get the first win and now we can kick on.
“We’ve not won here (Belle Vue) for a long time but it’s a big game and one we want to win.
“If you win the majority of your home games you give yourself a great shot of getting in the top-eight and we need to start chalking up some victories here.
“There’s a great opportunity in front of us against Salford.”
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Hide AdTheir opponents venture east on the back of an impressive win themselves having increased winless Warrington Wolves’ woe with a 24-14 success last week.
Having escaped relegation by the narrowest of margins in last season’s Million Pound Game, Ian Watson’s side are certainly showing signs of progress.
Indeed, their head coach also has the luxury of being able to bring in Todd Carney, the former Kangaroos stand-off who featured with Catalans Dragons last season but could finally debut for Salford having spent the last few weeks building up his fitness since flying in from Australia.
“I don’t know if Todd Carney will play,” conceded Chester, about the gifted but controversial ex-New South Wales State of Origin star.
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Hide Ad“If it was me I’d keep the side I had because it would be difficult to change a winning team.
“Whether they swap Dobbo (scrum-half Michael Dobson) to nine, I’m not sure. We’ll find out Sunday. I’m not really bothered what side they put out though.”
Chester has his own selection issues but, for once, of the positive type; such are the numbers available to him, he is able to afford captain Danny Kirmond a rest after the second-row picked up a couple of bangs at Saints.
“Mitch Allgood comes into the 19-man squad this week, as does Anthony England, who had a glute problem which kept him out,” he explained, with on-loan Hull FC back-row Dean Hadley debuting in place of Kirmond.
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Hide Ad“Ben Jones-Bishop comes back in too and I think we’re looking pretty strong and pretty healthy.
“Young James Batchelor will keep his spot too as he did well. It’s a nice selection headache to have (at prop); there’s Craig Huby, England, Anthony Walker, David Fifita, Allgood and more in there and two of them will miss out but we’ll make that call Saturday.”
It will be interesting to see, too, whether Chester retains Mason Caton-Brown after the winger – who joined from Salford over the off-season – scored a fabulous try on debut against Saints in place of the injured Jones-Bishop.
“Mason has made it very difficult for me this week but again, it’s a nice headache to have,” he admitted, about the electric Enfield-born 23 year-old.
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Hide Ad“He took his try very well. There were a couple of issues defensively but we’ve worked on those during the week.
“One thing he does have is genuine pace and there’s not many people who could have scored that try. What he did with the ball was very good.”