Daryl Powell urges Wakefield Trinity to seize opportunity in Challenge Cup

Trinity host 2023 winners Leigh Leopards in the last eight on Friday night knowing a victory would leave them one game away from a return to Wembley, where they won the 1895 Cup last year.

Wakefield claimed the treble during their brief stay in the Championship but the stakes are higher this week for a club that have not lifted the Challenge Cup since 1963.

"It's a big game," said Powell.

"The way Super League teams come into the Challenge Cup now, we played lower-league opposition and then you're not too far away.

"We had a really good win at Huddersfield and now it's a big game to get to a semi and one game away from Wembley. Players always get excited by that.

"You don't generally get these kinds of opportunities until later in the season. It gives you an early opportunity to get to a game of real significance."

Trinity have the unwanted tag of being the only current Super League club yet to reach a major final in the modern era.

Powell is optimistic about the club's prospects of ending their long wait after a promising start to the season.

"Belief is growing within the group," added Powell.

"We've come into Super League this year and were pretty much written off by most people, which gives us motivation.

"When we're winning games, a lot of people are talking about under-12 tries being conceded. They can keep talking about it and we'll keep going about our work.

"The attitude and commitment from the players has been outstanding every single week. If you're doing that, you're in a great place.

"We feel like we've got a lot of talent in the group and have got depth that has probably surprised us a little bit, never mind people on the outside."

Wakefield remain without full-back Max Jowitt and half-back Jake Trueman for the reverse fixture against Leigh.

Jowitt is struggling with a lower-leg injury sustained in the previous round of the cup, while Trueman continues to nurse a back problem.

"Max's injury is a really strange one," said Powell, whose side won 40-14 at Leigh in Super League last week.

"I was fearful that he would be out for a long time but I don't think he will be. But it's very difficult to get an exact timeframe as they've never seen the injury before. It's quite bizarre, really.

"Truey has had a scan and it showed an issue with his disc. We had hoped he would recover for this week but he hasn't. It's not long term but he's still feeling a little bit of discomfort there."