Daryl Powell addresses Wakefield Trinity boo boys after nervy win over Castleford Tigers

Trinity produced a below-par performance and were staring down the barrel of another home derby defeat when their rivals took a 12-0 lead into the interval.

Sections of the Belle Vue crowd made their feelings known and they got the desired response from their side, with Harvey Smith and Max Jowitt crossing to level the scores before Mason Lino's late drop goal completed the comeback.

The 13-12 victory ended Wakefield's 12-year wait for a home win over the Tigers and broke their 2025 duck at Belle Vue – but the reaction to the opening 40 minutes did not sit well with Powell.

"Our fans were booing at half-time which I was a bit disappointed with because the boys are giving everything," said the Trinity boss, whose side have made a promising start on their return to Super League after winning the Championship treble last season.

"We're not going to win every game this year but they need to understand a bit more than they did there.

"We're in it together. I think they can see the boys are digging in. We won't get everything right. Rugby league isn’t one of those games where it looks pretty all the time.

"The hard thing is we went through last year and hardly lost a game so there's kind of a new expectation. And we have high expectations of ourselves – but you don’t win every game in Super League.

"You're going to have to fight your way through periods because it's such a chaotic, crazy game. You've got to be really strong mentally."

Wakefield rode their luck after Rowan Milnes failed to convert any of Castleford's three first-half tries, while Daejarn Asi sent a drop-goal attempt agonisingly wide with the last kick of the game.

"Luckily for us it fell in our favour and we’re really pleased to win," added Powell, whose team were beaten by St Helens in their previous game.

"We've got a lot to fix up and have to toughen up a little bit mentally to make sure we play better than we have in both first halves the last couple of weeks.

"But we're four from eight. If you looked at the fixture list, you would have said that would be a tough ask. That's a fair effort – and we've been pretty close in other games.

"We're playing with one half-back at the moment which is pretty tough. The boys are doing a good job and we're happy where we're at – but we're going to need to keep improving."

Powell's selection calls have faced scrutiny despite Wakefield's late fightback.

Cam Scott was handed the right-wing spot and endured a tough evening alongside Corey Hall, with Castleford scoring all three tries on their edge.

In Jake Trueman's continued absence, Mason Lino was partnered in the halves by forward Jay Pitts rather than the returning Max Jowitt.

"That was an option but I just felt like we needed his sharpness at the back," said Powell, who dropped Josh Rourke to accommodate Jowitt.

"I'm not sure when Truey will be back – hopefully the Magic game.

"I have thought about playing Max at half and he has done it before so it's obviously a consideration moving forward.

"I went with Cam Scott on the wing so there were a couple of tough decisions there – but it's part of my job and what I get paid to do."