Kear eyes home town return as champions await

Kear, a former winger for his home-town club and also assistant when Castleford lifted the Challenge Cup in 1986, takes his current side to champions Wigan Warriors this evening.

However, with Wakefield favourites to lose their Super League licence later this month, the ex-England coach is expected to be high on the list of potential replacements for Terry Matterson at Wheldon Road.

“I’m out of contract and Terry’s said he’s going home at the end of the year,” said Kear.

“David Howes looks after me and he’s a mate as well as my manager. I put my faith in David.

“Castleford are a club I have connections with and it’s a club at which I’ve spent a lot of my life.

“I’ve got feelings for it but obviously I’ve got feelings for Wakefield, too.”

Trinity are widely tipped to be the club that suffers demotion when the RFL announces a week on Tuesday which have secured the remaining 13 licences to join Widnes Vikings in Super League next season.

When asked if he believes the decision has already been made, Kear said: “There will have been due diligence from the RFL and I don’t think our performance against Wigan will have any bearing on that decision.

“We want to play well not for any licence reason but because it allows us to enjoy coming to work; we’ve not had that pleasure the last couple of weeks.”

Their injury-ravaged squad has conceded 208 points in the last four fixtures, losing 46-6 against St Helens ahead of tonight’s game at the esteemed leaders.

They also have to head to second-placed Warrington after a Crusaders visit and Kear admitted: “There’s three teams in those four fixtures who are going to be in the shake-up as Super League champions and Challenge Cup winners so the list hasn’t been kind.

“But we’ve got to play them some time. It’s just that we do when confidence is low and numbers are down but that won’t be an excuse.”

Wakefield have failed in their bid to sign an overseas player before the transfer deadline.

However, they have recalled Jeremy Smith after axing the ex-Kiwi international when he was yellow-carded in consecutive fixtures for swearing at officials.

“I’ve been assured by him he won’t be getting sin-binned for dissent this week,” said Kear.

“He’s missed two weeks of action and now we’ll try and keep him on the field for 80 minutes.

“He does add something as a player – no doubt about that – but there were some things he was taking away from the team.”

Revitalised Doncaster visit Swinton tonight looking for a seventh consecutive Championship One win.

Coach Tony Miller insisted: “We’re third but we feel we are in with a chance of finishing top.”