Former Castleford Tigers forward Mike McMeeken ready to turn back clock at Wakefield Trinity
Gale, Mike McMeeken and Jake Trueman will be preparing to run out together backed by Daryl Powell, Michael Shenton, Ste Mills and Ben Cooper, only they are all wearing the colours of rivals Wakefield Trinity.
It has the hallmarks of a bad dream but the sobering reality is that a band of Castleford old boys are driving Trinity's resurgence.
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Hide AdPowell kicked off the Belle Vue revolution by leading Wakefield to a second-tier treble and is surrounded by people he trusts for the club's return to Super League.
One of those men is McMeeken, a Dream Team member when Castleford reached the 2017 Grand Final.
The forward's move to Trinity on a long-term contract was greeted by some raised eyebrows but McMeeken did not think twice after hearing Powell's vision for the club.
"Speaking to Powelly and knowing him from the past, I knew by him taking on a job like this that he wanted to achieve something special," said McMeeken, who is set to make his non-competitive debut for Wakefield against his former club on Friday.
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Hide Ad"He doesn't take on jobs like this without a really big motivation. I was very honoured he came to me and asked me if I wanted to join him on the project.


"I'm extremely enthusiastic about the prospect of being a part of something special that we're building here. I didn't want to turn that down.
"The plans for the club excited me."
Castleford did not look back after finishing fourth and reaching the Challenge Cup in Powell's first full season in charge.
A League Leaders' Shield was ultimately all the Tigers had to show for their promise under Powell but the formula for success was there.
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McMeeken could see a similar future for Wakefield when he was offered the chance to return to West Yorkshire.
"The aim is the same," he replied when asked if there were similarities between the project at Belle Vue and the one he joined at Castleford in 2015.
"The thing we've got here is a great backing from Matt (Ellis, owner). He's got a picture in his head of where he wants to take the club and I'm happy to be a part of that.
"We've got the right ingredients. We've got some great players and young players who will be coming through in the next few years.
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"I think we can attack this season. I don't see any reason why not.
"We're not here just to make up the numbers; we're here to compete and have aims that we want to achieve."
McMeeken took a leap of faith when he agreed to join Wakefield in the early part of last year despite their Championship status.
Although it always appeared likely that Trinity would return to Super League via the grading system, there were no guarantees.
In the end, McMeeken's faith in the club was rewarded.
"I was pretty confident from what I'd been told," he said.
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"That was down to the belief of Matt and Powelly. They had the belief that what they were doing in the background was enough to get them over the line for Super League.
"I was obviously relieved but at the same time, within myself I knew it was going to happen."
Trinity underlined their ambition with the signings of McMeeken, Trueman and Tom Johnstone, to name but a few.
Wakefield needed a strong on-field leader at the start of a new Super League era for the club – and Powell turned to McMeeken.
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Hide Ad"To be the captain of a club with so much history and lead out the lads is a big honour for me," said the England international.
"I feel like I'm ready for this role but we've got some good leaders in the group. I've got the captaincy but they're there to help lead as well.
"We're a team with a good balance of experience and youth."
After appearing in two Grand Finals for Catalans Dragons, McMeeken's stay at the French club came to a frustrating end last season.
The 30-year-old sustained a fractured thumb in May and by the time he returned, Catalans' play-off dream was fading.
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Hide AdThere will be an element of making up for lost time when the new campaign begins next month.
"Injuries are part and parcel of the game but it was frustrating to miss a fair bit of last year," said McMeeken.
"I'm excited to get going at a new club. I want to keep improving as a player and am itching to get started.
"It's going to be a great first game at Leeds. It's always a good atmosphere at Headingley and I'm sure we'll bring a fair few fans.
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Hide Ad"We want to set down a marker and they'll be the same. We've looked at our first few fixtures and are excited by what we see.
"We see them as a good challenge. We're confident we can pick up some good results."
Whether it is this year or down the track, McMeeken is confident he will achieve his trophy ambitions at Belle Vue.
"I believe so," he said. "That's why I took the opportunity to join Wakefield.
"I saw where the club was going and wanted to be part of something special. There's nothing more special than going to Old Trafford or Wembley and lifting a trophy."
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