Wakefield Trinity 26 Hull KR 24: Belle Vue honours John Kear memory with dramatic late twist
How John Kear would have enjoyed the scenes at Belle Vue on Saturday evening.
In the first game since the shock death of their former head coach, Wakefield Trinity dug deep to get over the line in a dramatic clash with Hull KR.
This win did not come close to matching Kear's Challenge Cup feats with Sheffield Eagles and Hull FC – or even his great escape as Trinity coach – but Daryl Powell's side had to show the same iron-willed qualities on an emotional occasion for the club.
An evening that began with the sport uniting to pay tribute to one of its most cherished figures ended with Belle Vue rocking to the sound of a late winner.
Wakefield appeared to have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory before eventually rediscovering their composure to steal the points through Mason Lino's try two minutes from time, leapfrogging KR and moving into the top four in the process.
The only thing missing was Kear's beaming smile.
The legendary coach would certainly have appreciated the efforts of both teams in a game that had a bit of everything, including red cards for Matty Storton and Jesse Sue.
Much of the talk beforehand centred on KR's response to Challenge Cup heartbreak and whether the final months of the Willie Peters era would be defined by what happened at Wembley.
Although they left empty-handed, the Robins produced a timely reminder of the character and resilience instilled by Peters during his transformation of the club.
Rovers hung in a match they may have otherwise lost heavily after shaking off their Wembley hangover.
Of all the things KR discussed in the aftermath of the final, it would be fair to say Tyrone May allowing Tyson Smoothy's kick-off to bounce dead was not one of them.
The Robins survived the early pressure and had settled into the game by the time Oli Pratt finished Lino's looping pass expertly with 16 minutes on the clock.
Trinity had already lost Corey Hall to injury but they were starting to take control before referee Aaron Moore became a central figure.
The man in the middle reduced both teams to 12 men at the midway point of the first half.
Lino caught Joe Burgess with a forearm to the head on the floor and the KR winger hit out in retaliation, earning both players 10 minutes in the sin bin.
The Trinity faithful were incensed again when the hosts were harshly penalised for bundling Peta Hiku into touch – and those boos only grew louder after May sent Mikey Lewis over untouched in the next set.
Their mood quickly improved, however, as Wakefield took the officials out of the equation.
The hosts quickly shifted the momentum and had two tries to celebrate before half-time.
Cam Scott collected a bouncing ball to score after Jake Trueman's rushed kick was patted back by Josh Rourke – and it soon got better for Trinity.
Caius Faatili was the architect of the third try in an eye-catching cameo off the bench, smuggling away an offload near halfway that gave Rourke the chance to step Jack Broadbent and streak clear of Lewis to finish with a flourish.
Rovers were well and truly on the ropes when Mike McMeeken broke straight through the middle, only for Lino to release the pressure with a wild pass into touch.
That proved to be a turning point before half-time as KR found a lifeline.
May chipped a kick over the top and Jai Whitbread, who missed Wembley for the birth of his first child, raced through to score untouched against his former club.
The theme of the game continued after the interval: every time Wakefield had momentum, they let it slip away.
Ex-KR forward Storton bulldozed his way over in heavy traffic but Trinity invited Rovers back in when they allowed Lewis' high kick to bounce and Sam Luckley accepted the gift of a try.
Moore returned to centre stage as the match entered the final quarter. However, if Storton's red card for a high shot on James Batchelor could be questioned, there was no doubt over the decision to give Sue his marching orders for an inexplicable swinging arm to the head of Tray Lolesio.
In driving rain, Rovers threatened to nick the points, led by early Man of Steel contender May.
The half-back produced a huge shot to dislodge the ball from Jazz Tevaga before bamboozling the Wakefield defence at the other end to put his side ahead for the first time.
As the sun bathed Belle Vue in the dying minutes, Trinity channelled the spirit of Kear to find an unlikely winner.
Rovers appeared to have Wakefield where they wanted them, only for Rourke to change the momentum with a burst away from his own line.
Hiku gave Trinity a leg-up with a high tackle on Faatili and he was made to pay a heavy price when Lino exchanged passes with Jay Pitts to dive over and spark the kind of scenes once witnessed on Kear's watch before holding his nerve to nail the conversion.
With time running out and the odds against them, his old club found a way.
Wakefield Trinity: Rourke, Pratt, Scott, Hall, Johnstone, Trueman, Lino, McMeeken, Smoothy, Rodwell, Storton, Vagana, Tevaga. Substitutes: Pitts, Hamlin-Uele, Faatili, Lolesio.
Tries: Pratt (16), Scott (31), Rourke (34), Storton (43), Lino (78).
Goals: Lino 3/5.
Sin bin: Lino (21).
Red card: Storton (60).
Hull KR: Broadbent, Davies, Hiku, Gildart, Burgess, Lewis, May, Sue, Litten, Amone, Lawton, Batchelor. Minchella. Substitutes: Luckley, Whitbread, Martin, Dezaria.
Tries: Lewis (24), Whitbread (38), Luckley (52), May (64).
Goals: Lewis 2/2, Martin 2/2.
Sin bin: Burgess (21).
Red card: Sue (62).
Referee: Aaron Moore.