Wakefield Trinity boss Daryl Powell hails 'phenomenal' Liam Hood but concedes this season may be his last

The signing of Brisbane Broncos hooker Tyson Smoothy has left Hood's position under serious threat as he approaches the end of his deal at Belle Vue.

The 33-year-old pushed any concerns about his contract situation to one side to help inspire a 30-16 win over Warrington Wolves on Sunday.

It was a particularly satisfying win for Powell, who was dismissed by Warrington after a heavy defeat at Wakefield in 2023.

"I said to Hoody, ‘You remember that time you got me sacked when you played for Wakefield? Play like that and we'll be alright!'" joked the Trinity boss. "And he did – awesome.

"When he plays like he did here, he's a phenomenal hooker. He's been around a fair while but sometimes you have to convince a player how good he is.

"I'm constantly into him to keep doing what he did in this game. We felt like we could get after the middle a little bit with what they did last week. I told him he just needed to take his opportunities to run.

"I used to have it with Macca (Paul McShane) where I had to put my boot up his a**e to get him running. I think Hoody sometimes is a little bit similar. He's good mates with him as well.

"He's a really good player."

Hood, who began his career at Leeds Rhinos before spells with Salford Red Devils and Leigh Leopards, has been Wakefield's leading hooker since arriving at the end of 2021.

However, with Smoothy on his way and Thomas Doyle and Harvey Smith already on the books, it is highly unlikely that Trinity would take four hookers into 2026.

"I had a good chat with Hoody," said Powell.

"He's had a pretty good career and is a champion fella. His sense of humour is awesome and he's great to have around the place because he's always bouncing around.

"You replace players, don't you, that's the way it works. Whether Hoody can get a contract with us...he can play 13 and is dangerous when he starts running.

"If he is going to finish with us, he wants to finish on an outstanding season. I'd love to see him do that because he's one of the great personalities. When you're coaching players and they have great personalities, they're so good to work with.

"He's one of them. He brightens up my day when he starts laughing."

Pushed on Hood's prospects of earning a new deal, Powell added: "The cap makes it hard work.

"Whether he ends up staying with us, I don't know whether we've got cap space. We probably wouldn't have because we've got Doyley and Harvey – but you never say never.

"There are always opportunities so we'll wait and see on that."