Right place, right time for returning Miller

AS COMEBACK games go, it did not get much better than Jacob Miller's accomplished return for resurgent Wakefield Trinity.
Wakefield Trinity's Jacob Miller (Picture: SWPix.com)Wakefield Trinity's Jacob Miller (Picture: SWPix.com)
Wakefield Trinity's Jacob Miller (Picture: SWPix.com)

The Australian stand-off had been absent since May with a fractured leg but returned to feature heavily in Thursday’s stunning 38-6 win over Leeds Rhinos.

Miller crossed for one try, attacked his opponents constantly, produced telling kicks and even came up with a massive defensive hit on Ashton Golding to force another score in the six-try rout.

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It was a perfect response for Wakefield after a disappointing 36-6 Super 8s defeat at Huddersfield the previous week.

“It was good as we needed to put a performance in,” Miller admitted to The Yorkshire Post.

“We haven’t been good enough the last couple of weeks and it was probably a good time for me to come back in; the boys were ready tonight and they wanted to respond. They did tonight and it was just good timing for me.”

Miller is perhaps being a little magnanimous there; Wakefield were superb across the board but he undoubtedly added some much-needed finesse which was all the more impressive given it was his first game back in action.

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“I’d been training with the team for two maybe three weeks – not for long but chiming in here and there so I haven’t just been ready this week,” he explained.

“I’d been ready for a couple of weeks and not just thrown in and that helped.”

It was arguably Wakefield’s best performance of the season and it bodes well for their top-four hopes.

“Leeds are a good side who throw the ball around and test you all over the park,” added the ex-Hull FC playmaker.

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“It was a really good performance for us but that has to be the benchmark now especially coming up against Cas next week.”

They head to Wheldon Road for another televised game on Thursday with Castleford now closing in on the League Leaders’ Shield after second-placed Leeds were so thoroughly out-played.

Wakefield would love to spoil that party against another derby rival but Miller, 24, insisted: “We need two points regardless of that.

“We want to make sure we’re in that top-four at the end and we have to focus on that.”

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He came in for the dropped Sam Williams against Leeds and quickly renewed his partnership with Ireland captain Liam Finn.

Miller said: “We’ve played together for a while now so it’s easy to come back.

“He takes control and I just do what I can off the back of that. But when the forwards play like that it makes my job so much more easier.”