Wakefield Wildcats 36 Hull KR 20: Mika is a big hit but Hull KR hurt by Cockayne

Hull KR’s Con Mika was the unfortunate individual at the centre of the drama on Saturday evening.

Trying to put a big hit on Wakefield’s charging prop Justin Poore straight from the kick-off, the New Zealand second-row only managed to clash heads with team-mate Lincoln Withers.

After almost a five-minute delay for treatment, the Rovers stand-off was stretchered off severely hampering the visitors’ best laid plans for a first win since last July.

In the 45th minute, from the re-start after Dean Collis’s all too easy try had put Wakefield 
24-10 ahead, Mika did at least make contact with an opponent, flattening the hosts’ impressive prop Kyle Amor.

At first glance, it seemed just like a typically robust challenge from the physical former Newcastle Knight which caused the ball to come flying loose.

However, as Amor lie receiving medical aid before groggily being led away, replays highlighted how Mika had somehow made the ‘tackle’ with his own head flying towards the opponent.

Should such collisions be viewed literally as attacks to the head and deemed high or was it just simply an accidental clash in the process of enacting a tackle?

Referee Steve Ganson gave Trinity a penalty but put the incident on report, probably realising the match review panel that sits this morning will have a far better chance of getting to the bottom – or top, as it was – of it all.

Whatever the outcome, and struggling Rovers can ill-afford the further absenteeism that any suspension will bring, it certainly brings new meaning to the old adage “he got his head in the wrong position.”

However, as a far more determined Trinity responded fittingly after their opening debacle at Bradford, this proved a peculiar game in general with plenty of such idiosyncrasies.

Take the rather bizarre handling of the new team warning edict when a side is continually infringing.

Rovers’ Graeme Horne, rightfully, was the player that copped a yellow card on behalf of his team in the 17th minute after four penalties in quick succession as Trinity camped on their line.

The game was scoreless then but the hosts took full advantage of his absence.

By the time he had returned and with a little help from the flair of scrum-half Tim Smith, they had surged 18-0 ahead courtesy of tries from Paul Aiton, ex-Hull FC centre Reece Lyne getting his first for the club and Peter Fox who latched on to some terrific work from captain Danny Kirmond.

However, there was some bafflement when Kirmond himself was yellow-carded in a similar vein in the 48th minute.

Admittedly, Wakefield had been handed a team warning before the break but it was Rovers who had conceded the previous three penalties before Ganson brandished the card.

Trinity were further bemused as assistant coach James Webster had asked the official at half-time if the warning – which confusingly has no set length – would carry on into the second period.

Ganson said it would not but it later emerged, according to Wildcats staff, he had thought Webster was still in his previous role as a Hull KR assistant and, so, believed he was enquiring about the East Yorkshire club’s discipline.

An easy mistake to make but, eventually, it was another former Hull KR employee who settled this fluctuating tie regardless.

The visitors, who had rallied in the first half with tries from the impressive Corey Paterson and Craig Hall, had clawed their way back to 24-20 when Trinity were down to 12 men, Josh Hodgson and namesake Dave both crossing to set up a tense final quarter.

However, once Ben Cockayne – sacked by Rovers for disciplinary reasons 18 months ago – collected Smith’s fine cut-out pass in the 61st minute it seemed Wakefield would prevail.

When the hard-running winger added a second soon after, Horne having conceded possession, there was no doubting the result meaning his hat-trick at the death after Paul Sykes’s break was merely a much-deserved bonus.

“It is a bit unusual to get all three in the last 20 minutes,” Cockayne told the Yorkshire Post.

“I’ve only scored one other hat-trick in my entire career which was here against Huddersfield last year so to get one against a team I’m very fond of is pretty sweet.

“It wasn’t down to me though. I was just on the end of everything and in the right place at the right time.

“Our forwards did the really hard work tonight whether carrying or defending.

“They’d come in for some stick from our coach Rich (Agar) for what happened at Bradford, who ran harder and tackled harder.

“It was a kick up the backside they needed but they showed a major reaction here and did great for us.”

Prop Andy Raleigh, who like Smith returned from injury, brought some real order to Wakefield’s pack while Amor was similarly forceful along with Kirmond who seemed to be involved in everything.

They head to London on Sunday and Cockayne, 29, said: “I expected big things from them last year and it didn’t quite work.

“I imagine they’ll be wanting to make it click now but we’ll go down there and try find some weaknesses.”

Wakefield: Mathers; Fox, Collis, Lyne, Cockayne; Sykes, Smith; Poore, Aiton, Raleigh, Lauitiiti, Kirmond, Washbrook. Substitutes: Wilkes, Wood, Amor, Mariano.

Hull KR: Hall; Caro, Salter, Horne, D Hodgson; Withers, Dobson; Paea, J Hodgson, Walker, Mika, Paterson, Griffin. Substitutes: Carlile, Cox, Ferguson, Tuimavave.

Referee: S Ganson (St Helens).

Ferguson determined to prove a point to Anderson

NEW signing Dale Ferguson says he will utilise his loan spell at Hull KR to prove to Huddersfield Giants he can still do a job for them.

The Scotland international made his Rovers debut at Wakefield on Saturday after joining for a month to alleviate their mounting injury problems.

He showed up well against Trinity and put in an encouraging display after coming in off the bench during the 36-20 defeat.

Ferguson, 24, has found himself down the pecking order at Huddersfield behind the likes of Brett Ferres, Luke O’Donnell, Jason Chan and new arrival Ukuma Ta’ai.

But the talented back-row has every confidence in recapturing the form which saw him earn a major move from Wakefield to Giants two years ago and initially shine.

“When Hull KR approached saying I’d be playing and there’d be some opportunity to get some game time over here I took it with both hands,” he explained.

“I just wanted to get on the pitch and show what I can do rather than being sat about waiting for someone to get injured back at Huddersfield.

“There’s a lot of forwards there who are in form at the minute. They got the start out of the blocks and it’s pointless me waiting around but (Giants head coach) Paul Anderson is staying in contact and he’s fully aware why I’ve come over here.

“It was good to get out there against Wakefield on Saturday even if the result didn’t go our way. I’m looking forward to having another shot at Widnes next Sunday and hopefully getting Rovers their first win of the season.”

Ferguson almost got a debut try in the 54th minute after diving on Michael Dobson’s ricocheted kick but it was ruled out by the video referee after he failed to ground correctly.

“Personally I thought I did get it down but looking back on the camera angles it looks like I didn’t,” he said

“Fair play to the referee. You have to cop it and I’ll just have to get myself in the right position next time and hopefully it’ll pay off.

“There were plenty of positives there and we’ll go to Widnes in good spirits.”

However, it remains unclear whether they will do so with Lincoln Withers in their ranks.

He had to have more than 20 stitches in a gaping head would after team-mate Con Mika collided with the stand-off in the first tackle of the game so faces a head test later this week.