Departing Kear happy to avoid bottom place as Trinity end on high

It was Kear’s last game in charge and the last game for several of Wakefield’s senior players, including perhaps club captain Glenn Morrison and prop Michael Korkidas as well as those known to be on the move such as Julien Rinaldi and Ben Gledhill.

“I was really pleased for the players and I’m really pleased that they didn’t finish bottom because it was a goal at the end of the season,” said Kear.

“We’ve won our mini competition with the Crusaders. I thought the players did themselves proud. We all said beforehand that we were going to do it for each other and, my word, they did that.

“It was a very good comprehensive performance.

“I’m not the first coach to leave Wakefield and I won’t be the last but I feel that I’ve had five-and-a-half years and I’ve loved every minute.

“It’s been tough at times and at others it’s been really rewarding. It’s just been great and hopefully there’ll be a little bit of history that has John Kear at the side of it because it’s a very historic club.

“If you finish a chapter in a book and enter another chapter it must be a good finish and that’s what that was.

“I’m over the moon for the players because they’ve done it tough. It’s been very hard this last couple of months. We’ve copped a lot of teams with a lot to play for with a lot of quality in them.

“Today they stood toe-to-toe and eye-to-eye with the opposition and they came up with a good win. And it was a good win with some good rugby league.

“I thought Glenn Morrison was magnificent and Mike Korkidas scored and Julien (Rinaldi) scored as well and Jeremy Smith played his best game in Wakefield colours as well.

“They really did stand up and it means a lot to me. I think it showed an element of respect from the players for the coaching staff when they go out there and play as they played. They were magnificent tonight and I’m absolutely rapt.”

Beaten Bulls coach Mick Potter said: “Injuries meant we lost our rotation and we just couldn’t handle the adversity.”