Wakefield Trinity 46 Halifax Panthers 24: Daryl Powell's side celebrate homecoming party with emphatic win

The rugby mirrored the activity on the construction site that overlooked the pitch: striving for progress but nowhere near where they should have been.

Perhaps the only person who could see the light at the end of the tunnel this time last year was Matt Ellis as he sought to complete his takeover of Wakefield Trinity.

The millionaire owner of DIY Kitchens had grand plans for the club he had supported since childhood and was not shy in letting everybody know about them once he got the keys to Belle Vue.

The top line was that he wanted to transform Trinity into a top-six Super League outfit in the near future.

Those who scoffed at his ambitious plans for the perennial strugglers are not laughing now.

Wakefield remain some way off mixing it with the cream of Super League but they are unrecognisable from the club that had a solitary win to their name 12 months ago.

Their progress on the field under experienced head coach Daryl Powell is being matched in the background as Ellis brings every aspect of the club into the 21st century.

After winning at Wembley for the first time in 61 years a fortnight ago, Trinity celebrated their homecoming party with a 12th straight Championship victory.

It is not Super League but it will do for starters.

Halifax Panthers became the latest Championship outfit to succumb to Powell's men, a Super League team in all but name.

Wakefield remained full-time with Ellis' backing and it showed against a Halifax side struggling at the wrong end of the table, Derrell Olpherts highlighting the depth of Powell's squad with four tries on his 200th career appearance.

Trinity shrugged off Mason Lino's late withdrawal and Charlie Graham's shock early opener to put the game to bed before half-time thanks to an Olpherts brace and tries from Oliver Pratt, Max Jowitt and Fax old boy Lachlan Walmsley.

Gareth Widdop and James Woodburn-Hall scored in quick succession but Olpherts went over for back-to-back tries to take his haul to four and give Wakefield a big lead heading into the closing stages.

Fax refused to go away in a whole-hearted performance and scored again through Matty Gee before Liam Hood had the last word for Wakefield.

“We’re still 100 per cent and want to keep that tag,” said Powell. “It’s good pressure and means we need to be consistent with our standards.”

One of the pre-season goals was to put smiles back on faces and it is mission accomplished on that front.

Even the sight of Graham opening the scoring for Halifax could not dampen the home fans' enthusiasm.

The winger punished Trinity for a sloppy start when he touched down in the corner but his seventh-minute try only served to spark the hosts into life.

Long passes from Walmsley and Jowitt gave Olpherts a quickfire double before Pratt went over from close range.

Olpherts appeared set to complete his hat-trick before half-time after Luke Gale's offload close to the line created space out wide, only for Jowitt's pass to sail over the winger's head and into touch.

Two tries in the final three minutes of the half made it 28-6 to end Halifax's challenge.

Jowitt pounced on a mistake by Woodburn-Hall to race 40 metres and Walmsley helped himself to a try against his old club just before the hooter after exchanging passes with Olpherts.

Former England international Widdop stepped off the bench to finish a break by Fax dangerman Woodburn-Hall, who got the try his performance deserved soon after when he scored on the last tackle following a quick play the ball with Trinity scrambling.

Perhaps guilty of putting the cue on the rack, Wakefield awoke from their slumber with the help of Jowitt.

The emergency half-back sent Olpherts over for his hat-trick try with a looping ball and repeated the trick with a flatter pass to give the winger his fourth.

Gee ran a superb line to hit Woodburn-Hall's pass and score but Hood rounded off yet another Wakefield win with a try from dummy-half.

Barring an unexpected twist, Trinity will be back in Super League next season stronger for resetting at a lower level.

The top division is a pipedream for Halifax after they were ranked 20th in the indicative phase of the new grading system being rolled out by IMG.

With promotion off the table, Fax have struggled in their first season under Liam Finn.

A fifth victory of the year was never on the cards at Belle Vue despite a bright start and a recent upturn in form that brought two wins in three games.

While Finn found reasons for encouragement in the way his team stayed in the fight against full-time opposition, he rued missed opportunities to truly test Wakefield.

"I'm proud of the effort but it's a massive lesson that when you have your time in the sun against a team like Wakefield, you need to make hay," he said.

Wakefield Trinity: Walmsley, McGillvary, Croft, Pratt, Olpherts, Jowitt, Gale, Bowden, Hood, Atoni, Ashurst, Griffin, Pitts. Substitutes: Kay, Bain, Uele, Doyle.

Tries: Olpherts (13, 18, 60, 63), Pratt (27), Jowitt (37), Walmsley (40), Hood (76)

Goals: Jowitt 7/8

Halifax Panthers: Woodburn-Hall, Saltonstall, Barber, Tibbs, Graham, Jouffret, Keyes, Tangata, O'Brien, Fairbank, Kavanagh, Gee, Davies. Substitutes: Widdop, Larroyer, Boyer, McComb.

Tries: Graham (7), Widdop (51), Woodburn-Hall (54), Gee (71)

Goals: Jouffret 4/4

Referee: Matty Lynn.