Powell credits Championship rebuild as Wakefield celebrate Grand Final breakthrough

Daryl Powell has credited Wakefield Trinity’s time outside Super League with giving the club room to rebuild, after his side reached their first Grand Final. Speaking in comments reported by BBC Sport, the head coach said relegation had allowed Wakefield to stabilise their squad, establish a coaching staff and recruit the players needed to return to the top division.

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Wakefield dropped out of Super League in 2023, with Matt Ellis’s takeover helping to reshape the club. Powell was appointed shortly after relegation and oversaw the team’s passage through the Championship. He said the subsequent additions of players such as Mike McMeeken and Tom Johnstone complemented a group whose earlier recruits had continued to develop. Trinity returned to Super League in 2025.

Johnstone, who began his career at Wakefield, told BBC Two that a meeting with Ellis had been central to his decision to come back. The England winger visited the owner’s kitchen factory with his agent to hear the plans for the club. He said the ambitions outlined in that conversation persuaded him to return after two seasons with Catalans Dragons, rejoining for Wakefield’s first campaign back in the top flight.

The 31-year-old scored twice as Wakefield beat Wigan Warriors 33-6 in Saturday’s play-off semi-final. Trinity had finished fourth in the league and faced opponents on a 16-match winning run. After conceding first, Wakefield scored 33 unanswered points, taking advantage of Adam Keighran’s second-half yellow card to pull away and end Wigan’s pursuit of another domestic treble.

Captain McMeeken placed the achievement among the most significant experiences of his career. His previous appearances include three Grand Finals with Castleford and Catalans, as well as England’s home World Cup semi-final in 2022. For Johnstone, reaching this stage brought a long-held ambition of winning the title with Wakefield closer to reality, following the club’s rapid recovery from relegation.

Wakefield will face Warrington Wolves at Old Trafford on 3 October, guaranteeing a first-time Super League champion. Powell previously coached Warrington but said the achievement belonged to his players rather than his own career story. He also stressed the importance of staying focused on the match itself, pointing to the approach his team had taken against Wigan.