Willie Poching- a complete surprise as a head coach… intelligent thoughtful and effective
Max Jowitt - totally come into himself as an influential full back.. the promise is being fulfilled
Corey Hall - a revelation… started off good but gets better every game I see him play.. still needs to be managed sensibly but looks capable of anything
Liam Kay - a total surprise to me, didn’t understand why we signed him but he’s playing with speed flair and intelligence.. I thought Sunday was his best game in a Trinity shirt
Miller and Lino… seldom have I seen two players play so in tune with each other
Jai Whitbread - a young powerhouse with an immense engine
Yusuf Aydin - totally a Superleague first grader looks the part more every appearance
Matt Ashurst - playing with a direction and energy I thought was past him.. like an older brother protector to Hall and Murphy
James Batchelor - stepped up a level this year impressive!!
Jordy Crowther - stepped up two ( maybe three) levels showing he has brains to match his energy

One or two swallows don’t make a summer… but watching this team (even from the other side of the world) is fun!

Can't argue with any of that.
The success of the team I think is down to those other players stepping up so it isn't just TJ and Fifita doing it on their own.

Willie is a wizard.

Agreed. The only none surprise was Kay, I thought he was an inspired signing, a hugely talented player. True I didn't expect him to become a 9 but I did see him as cover for H/B and F/B. When I think about it with Kay he's probably a victim of his own success, he's been so prolific on the wing everybody forgot he could do other things including himself I suspect.

He owes WP a great debt fr noticing this and giving him the chance, although credit where it's due another great Chester signing despite what people with Chester blindness say. WP has a lot to thank CC for, we were almost there in many ways but for whatever reason CC couldn't make it work in the end.

Cory Hall, yes people in the know said this lad was a talent but nobody was predicting this.

Finally, Batch and Crowther have been re-born. Batch had slipped in the last few seasons after being a revelation, he's back where he should be. I was beginning to worry about Crowther as for me he wasn't progressing and I was defending him out of loyalty at times, but since WP arrived he's really started to shine. Not quite as good a player as Batch IMHO but still a very worthy SL player.

I`m sure it was Chester that started playing Kay at hooker, WP just continued playing him there through the back end of the season.

Wakefield to appear to be on the crest of a wave at the moment. Interesting to see how long it lasts. Hopefully to dispose of Wigan in the Challenge Cup. !!

I’m not totally sure on that but I thought it was a WP move tbh.

Just looked back and it`s more clear cut than I thought, think he played 5 or 6 games at hooker before CC was sacked.

I think it was Chester but not long before but it matters not as Kay has shown his capabilities which are invaluable.

Well as someone who still rates CC's time at the club then I'm just as happy with that.

Listening to Arona on the heritage podcast and the overriding image I get is that poaching has galvanised the players and the camaraderie is at an all time high at the club and that is spilling over onto the field .Aronas assignment was talking to big Ali and what playing for the Trin meant to him . I feel the players are in a better place both on and off the field and are buying into Poaching’s philosophy in a big way

Muhammed Ali... ???....Does Tinny have psychic powers ???

Non other that the mercurial Ali Lauititi

Stop trying to say it is down to Chester the way we are playing now Its all down to W P and the New coaching staff and conditioner Bringing the academy coach into the first team set up was a master stroke .There is no way we were getting any way near the standed of rugby ,fitness, or defences of the team under the last 3 years of Chester .Kay played is first game at hooker against St at home .

Chester did us proud for a fair few years of that there is no denying that , but imo allowed things to go stale and it showed in our performances towards the end , but I am for ever grateful for his achievements on a budget. But poaching for me is another kettle of fish , not only targeting the players physically but mentally both on and off the pitch and it’s paying dividends. Don’t forget he took over last season so that new coach syndrome is well out of the window now , yet we are turning up for each other and playing open attractive rugby once again and for me it couldn’t come soon enough .

Agree and W P had very little of the budget left .

Give it a rest, Chester did a good job. That said where exactly have I said the way we are playing now is down to Chester. Get a grip.

And you know this how?

I’ve studied psychology and sociology, human behaviour, emotional intelligence… I’ve worked across the world in significant change programs, put together some massive safety and assurance arguments…..



But….





Despite the sum of my experience i am unable to explain…






Why my little positive, observational post …






Resulted in a fragmented ‘cat fight’ …






In less than two pages?!?!

I agree with most of that but think there's a startling omission from your list!

Arguably the signing we needed to work out most after having so much trouble there last year with injuries and constantly trying different players there...but think Liam Hood has made a real difference at 9. Really strong player all round...gets the forwards moving with quality distribution and a real strong tackler...don't think it's any coincidence that since he's come in and got match fit we're seeing much more from Lino and Miller as they're getting the ball that bit quicker.

On paper a spine of Jowitt, Miller, Lino and Hood may not look as special as many teams but they aint half functioning well at the minute and moving the team around the field really well !

The other real important thing for me with this squad and something I've said for years is, success is built on a solid backbone of local lads who've come through the academy and I think on that score we're in a better position now than we've ever been in since i've been watching us. There's the older brigade in Jowitt, Johnstone, Batchelor and Crowther who all seem to have gone up a level this season...wonder if that's down to new faces in the backroom as WP mentioned in the Trinity Heritage podcast? And then there's the new kids on the block of last season and this...Bowes, Aydin, Hall, Murphy, Kershaw, Shaw, Croft etc...I actually think at this present time we could field a 17 man squad with about 12 who've come through our academy and be really competitive and I can't remember us being able to do that for a very long time!

Looks like we've got a real gem in Willie too...just love the way he's started...his decision making...the way he speaks in interviews...always striving for the best...making the players and fans believe we can go and beat any team anywhere...think it was very clever what he did pre season getting the squad to engage with past players to give them the feel of what it means to represent our club. Those 16 years as a number two might just have helped form one of the brightest coaches out there at the minute...he was a tremendous player for us and when he left...he comes across as a great bloke and so far, and fingers crossed for the future, he looks to be a real top drawer coach!

Top drawer post

you are absolutely right, Hood's solidity at acting half is really important, the choice of pass the sense of where his playmakers are... I had him in mind when I started writing but somehow he got left off.

I’d also add one.

The back room staff, most notably conditioning.

I always thought we were fit, never bought it as an excuse and still don’t.

However we now seem to be super fit, most notably in endurance.

Our ability to maintain momentum to the last minute was a huge factor in all three wins.

I think what’s happened is a new team with new ideas have come in and crucially got the players to buy in.

I doubt it’s that much different to the maligned Glogger but it seems to be enough. Most notable beneficiary for me has been Ashurst, the clock has been wound back five years in his case but they all look better.

If we can avoid serious injuries we will only get better. Minor niggles and general fatigue always cure quicker when the mind set is right.

I would say 'fitness' and 'conditioning' are different things. A marathon runner and sprinter are both fit, but conditioning for a specific activity is key. RL must be one of the most difficult sports to condition athletes for.
It was interesting in Tini Arona's podcast to hear of the preparation routine in the week before a game and in particular that they get a rest day on Saturday before the game on Sunday.
I think in all games this year we've finished stronger than the opposition. This is a huge advantage, especially in defence.

I remember reading the article on TJ a month or so ago about him changing his diet after seeing a nutritionist. Saying because of his junk food eating and bad habits he was feeling knackered 20 minutes into games. I just wonder if a few others have done the same because as said...our fitness levels across the whole team have certainly gone up a level this season it seems and we're reaping the benefits...

It's the age old saying of you are what you eat! These young lads, like TJ said in his interview think they're invincible and can get away with it but as professional athletes every small thing matters and if a good diet improves your game then it's a sacrifice you need to make in a short career. Really surprised me though as I thought they would all have been good that way? Remember a few years back when I was going down to the fitness things they were doing down there and speaking with Jon Molloy and he was massively into that side of things and gave me some really good advice which made a big difference to me personally. Wonder what happened to him by the way....heard his name mentioned in the podcast the other day with Arona and wondered what had happened to him...

Arona said they all eat together after training so it seems its part of the whole thing. From nutrition to bonding.