Wakefield Trinity - Super League 2025 Preview and Prediction - video Dailymotion

Yorkshire Post

The Yorkshire Post's rugby league writer James O'Brien looks ahead to Wakefield Trinity's 2025 campaign in Super League, picking out reasons for optimism, areas of concern, key players and a predicted finish

Transcript

00:00I think Wakefield have recruited really well for where they were in the Championship, obviously

00:16last year. They've got some real big names, Mike McMeekin, Tom Johnston, Jake Truman,

00:22guys like that. It's pretty much unheard of for a Championship side to be able to recruit

00:27that calibre of player, but Wakefield have done that. They've obviously got a winning

00:32mentality as well. They've come off winning the treble in the Championship, a lower level,

00:39but it creates that winning culture and I think that would be good for Wakefield, particularly

00:45after the season they had the previous season in Super League. They're in a much better

00:48place to attack Super League now than they were then the last time they were in it. I

00:54think Wakefield can enjoy a positive season, but again, it's just whether they've got the

01:00depth to cope with injuries, but on the face of it, they are primed to kick on and really

01:06make an impression in Super League this time.

01:14They've got that winning culture, they've got that winning mentality. The concern is

01:17when they do start to lose games, they need to learn how to lose games again and bounce

01:23back. I think they lost twice all year last year. It can be not easy, because it's not

01:31easy winning games in the Rugby League, but once you get used to it, you get on that roll

01:37and nothing can derail you. But if you do lose one or two in a row, that would be the

01:43real test for Darrell Powell's side and how they bounce back from that and whether they

01:47can come again and keep their morale high. That would be the key for Wakefield.

01:57I think Mike McMeekin, new captain for Wakefield, he's been brought in as a marquee man. He's

02:03on a lot of money and he's got a lead from the front as captain as well. I think if he

02:08has a good season, he's one of the best props in the comp. Nowadays, he's an England international.

02:14If he leads from the front, everyone else will follow. Obviously, you've got Tom Johnson

02:17on the wing as well. If he stays fit, which he struggled to do the first time around at

02:22Wakefield, but he's more professional now. He looks after himself more. I know I've named

02:29two there, but if those guys justify the salaries they're on and enjoy strong seasons, then

02:35everything else will fall into place around them.

02:40I think Wakefield could finish in and around the play-off places, but I'm just going to

02:49hedge my bets and put them 9th for now. I just think it's a big step up from the Championship.

02:56They've got a good 17, but beyond that, there are question marks. There's a lot of unknown

03:02quantities, a lot of players who haven't played Super League. So, while I think they could

03:08dually and go straight into the play-offs, maybe even go far in the Challenge Cup, I

03:12think the safe bet of taking the safe option and put them 9th with scope for improvement

03:19beyond that.

Wakefield Trinity - Super League 2025 Preview and Prediction

Category

Transcript

Recommended