Wakefield Trinity v St Helens: Play-off place at stake but Daryl Powell focused on bogey team

Trinity were perennial strugglers up until their relegation in 2023 and, at that point, had to go back 11 years for their last taste of post-season rugby.

Now they stand on the brink of a second successive play-off campaign with five games still to play – and the fact it barely registers as a talking point underlines how far they have come.

A win over St Helens on Saturday would confirm Wakefield's top-six spot and boost their chances of hosting a first play-off tie in 17 years.

But for all the talk of Wakefield's rapid rise, Powell has a useful reality check to hand: their losing record against Saints since promotion.

"We were in the play-offs last year and that was a battle with Hull right to the end and we won that," said the Trinity boss.

"This is a little bit different but I don’t think we should be looking too far ahead – just get this job done against St Helens. We have found them really tough to play against the last couple of years.

"We’ve been a developing club and I feel like we're in a great place at the moment and are getting better all the time.

"A win last week against Leeds would have been handy but it is what it is. There are key lessons for us, we move on and need to play well in this game.

"We've got three home games and two away, starting with this one, so it's a big game for us."

While Trinity are a club on the up, St Helens have the look of a fading force.

The 10-time Super League champions appear set to miss out on the play-offs for the first time in the summer era after a run of five defeats in six games with an injury-hit team.

Another loss at Belle Vue would leave the coachless Saints six points adrift of the top six with only four rounds remaining.

Powell, however, is only concerned about Wakefield's response to their painful defeat to Leeds.

"We can't worry about St Helens and what they're going through," he said.

"We've just got to go and play our game and be a little bit more consistent than we were last week.

"If we get that right, it's there for all to see what we can do. We just want to do it more consistently in big games. This is a great opportunity for us.

"Home games are really important. We've got this one, Warrington and York. If we win those three, it puts us in a great position regardless of what the other two look like.

"We want to win them as well but our home form is a real priority."

Powell's options have been reduced by the sudden departure of Seth Nikotemo on compassionate grounds.

The back-rower made 16 appearances before heading back to Australia with a year still left on his contract.

"Seth had an issue back home that he needed to go and look after," said Powell.

"It was a real quick one, like an overnight need to go situation. We wanted to look after Seth and make sure everything was alright back home. The situation is one that he needs to stay there.

"We'll miss him as a player and a person. He has been great while he has been at the club but sometimes there are bigger things at play.

"Pittsy (Jay Pitts) will be out for a couple of weeks with his biceps so it does leave us a bit isolated. We've got Jordan Williams, who hasn’t played for us yet, as an option to come in so we're okay.

"We're a bit skinnier than we'd like to be but there are teams in worse situations than us so we will just deal with it."

As well as Saints and Warrington, Trinity face Wigan Warriors and Leigh Leopards in the remaining rounds.

Powell believes the testing run-in is the perfect opportunity for Wakefield to show just how far they have come.

"We're at that point now where we're almost in play-off rugby," he said.

"The game against Leeds was up there in terms of intensity. That's the level we want to be playing at.

"We're going to have to over these coming weeks because we know how important it is.

"I've got full confidence in the boys at the moment, the way we're playing the game. We're confident we can do what we want at the back end regardless of who we're playing.

"We're still on a journey to show how good we can be. We've been pretty good this year but I think there is another level in us."