Wigan Warriors v Wakefield Trinity - Lockdown is an option for Chris Chester

WAKEFIELD Trinity head coach Chris Chester says the club might enforce its own lockdown to deep clean their facilities after they saw another two players test positive for Covid and “lose half our team” for tonight’s game against Wigan Warriors.
Wakefield coach Chris Chester.Wakefield coach Chris Chester.
Wakefield coach Chris Chester.

It is the third time Trinity have seen players test positive with six now having contracted the virus at some point since the sport resumed last month.

Wakefield, who are on a six-game losing streak, have had to call Matty Ashurst back in off paternity leave to play this evening.

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Chester had been looking forward to a raft of players returning following self-isolation only to be hit with the latest news.

“There’s been a couple of positives and probably seven or eight players we’ve had to stand down off the back of that,” he said.

“So it’s been another challenging week for obvious reasons.

“We’ve had to bring Matty Ashurst back into the fold – literally he’s just had our team run.

“We’d been waiting for a decision on one player who’s already tested positive in the past to see if he’d be able to take part but we’ve just found he can’t. Matty’s wife just had their baby on Monday. Last night I had 16 players and had to make a phone call to him to say ‘can you come and join us for a team run?’

“But he’s fit and ready to go.”

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The Wigan game goes ahead but Chester says the Super League club are now contemplating taking matters into their own hands.

“These things just keep happening and it (Covid) keeps lingering,” he said. “We need to have a look at what we’re doing out on the field and whether we’re doing everything to minimise it.

“All the players need to look at what they’re doing away from the club as well.

“Whether it means a five-day total lockdown within ourselves and literally staying at home to give this place a real deep clean we’ll have to see.

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“If that’s what it takes then we’ll have to do that, just lock ourselves down for five days and fingers crossed it works for us.”

Chester confirmed England winger Tom Johnstone would return from his elbow injury but added: “These are challenging times. It’s hard work. You prepare for a game for a Friday and then half of your team get pulled from underneath your feet within 24 hours.”

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