2020 Review: Wakefield Trinity

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Our Super League 2020 season reviews continue with our second club - Wakefield - under the microscope by Andrew Ferguson today.

Since 2017 we had seen Wakefield move into being a consistent top 8 side before they dipped down to 9th last year, just a win shy of the 8th placed Leeds. The slide continued again in 2020 as they dropped down to second last and seemingly are finding themselves slipping down to the all-too familiar territory of the bottom 3. Since joining the Super League in 1999, Trinity have had just 7 seasons where they have finished higher than 8th.

The year started reasonably well as they scored 2 wins from their opening 5 games, but the suspension of the competition destroyed their season. When the game resumed, Wakefield went on a 9 game losing run, consigning them to last place. Three consecutive wins against Huddersfield, Hull KR and Leeds helped them move up to second last.

Turning Point

Coronavirus lockdown. It would be easy to blame Covid-19 for every club, but it really did seem to decimate the side's momentum. Wins over Warrington and Salford and a 1 point loss to Hull FC saw Wakefield Trinity building some nice form, but the lockdown destroyed it all. They lost 9 straight games once the game resumed, ending their season at the same time.

What Worked

The end of the year. For the first time since 2012, Wakefield managed to win 3 straight games at the tail end of the season. They had become notorious for dropping off at the end of seasons as well as being inconsistent. Winning back-to-back games late in the year had been a huge issue for the club and a key factor denying them of more finals appearances.

What Didn't Work

Attack - Twice in 2020 Wakefield were kept scoreless, a feat they've not previously achieved since being in Super League. In fact, 12 of their 19 games this year saw them fail to score 20 points, which is a big issue when you consider that the average winning score in 2020 was 30 points.

Best Player

Kelepi Tanginoa. The big mobile forward was clearly Trinity's best player in 2020. He finished second on the clubs top tryscoring list with 6, which is impressive when you consider that he had only scored 1 try in his entire NRL and Super League career prior to 2020. His brilliant form was rewarded with selection in the Super League Dream Team at the end of the season.

Rookies

Three players made their Super League debuts in 2020 for the club. Young hooker Harry Bowes played 2 games, skilful half Connor Bailey appeared in 5 games while Yusuf Aydin played 3 games up front a year after making his International debut for Turkey.

Looking Ahead

Wakefield have picked up talented young half Mason Lino from the Newcastle Knights. Lino is an accomplished goal kicker, having kicked 64 goals at 84.21% in the NRL, and possesses a clever kicking game. He's also played 3 Tests for Samoa. The side has lost some experienced campaigners in Danny Brough, Craig Kopczak, Danny Kirmond and Ryan Atkins, while Daniel Barcoe and Harry Dodd will also be leaving the club.

2020 results