Daryl Powell challenges Wakefield Trinity players to become club legends in Super League Grand Final
Daryl Powell has told his Wakefield Trinity players they have the chance to become club legends by completing one of the greatest stories in Super League history on Saturday.
Powell's Trinity stand on the brink of immortality as they aim to end a 68-year wait for a top-flight title after booking their place in a maiden Grand Final with a landmark win over the formidable Wigan Warriors.
This weekend's decider pits Powell against Warrington Wolves, the club where he endured an ill-fated spell before being sacked in 2023.
But the experienced coach has stressed this weekend is all about his players.
"There are all sorts of stories in life," said Powell, who guided Castleford Tigers to the Grand Final in 2017.
"Sometimes things don't go your way and that's the only one that hasn't.
"I've moved past that pretty heavily and am just enjoying what I'm doing at the moment. It's a great group of blokes and we're creating little bits of history for ourselves.
"I've said to the boys that they've got the opportunity to become club legends because nobody forgets this. That's got to get you excited.
"You need to be excited but calm. If we get the balance right, I think we'll be in a great place."
Wakefield's semi-final victory at Wigan ensured a new name on the trophy following Warrington's win over Leeds Rhinos the previous night.
Only four clubs had won the competition before Hull KR became the first team since the Rhinos in 2004 to enjoy maiden Old Trafford success.
Powell sees Wakefield's presence as evidence of a changing landscape.
"The salary cap has balanced things out a little bit and that's what you want," he said. "You don't want the same teams winning it all the time.
"I think the freshness of us being here is great for rugby league and a great opportunity for us.
"I feel like we're primed for it."
While Trinity are preparing for their first taste of a Grand Final as a club, Warrington have been on the losing side four times at Old Trafford, most recently in 2018.
The Wire have to go back even further than Wakefield for their last title success in 1955.
Sam Burgess is bidding to become a Grand Final winner on both sides of the world after famously helping South Sydney Rabbitohs end decades of hurt in 2014.
The scale of achievement would not be lost on the former England captain.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn’t very interested in trying to break the drought when I first took the job," he acknowledged.
"There are a lot of similarities. It's not been won here for 71 years. I’m aware of that.
"It's exciting but as a player at Souths, we got to the prelims in 2012 and 2013 before we won it in 2014. I felt like all that drought talk, weight of expectation, was heavy. It's not heavy on us because we've kept it that way.
"It's more about this new group and creating our own history rather than being weighed down by the past."