Wildcats get away with their sins
NOTHING, it seems, can stop Wakefield.
The perennial strugglers of the Super League secured their top-flight status by the skin of their teeth last season by beating Bradford in the Million Pound Game.
But on the evidence of this fraught, fractious 36-28 home victory over Warrington which saw three Wildcats players sin-binned, their supporters will not have to endure such a nerve-shredding ending this time.
The way that Wakefield are shaping up under head coach Chris Chester has encouraged hopes of a top-eight finish.
Chester was sacked by Hull KR after three games of this season. But he landed at Wakefield, his hometown club, three weeks later and the Wildcats have not looked back.
Remarkably, this was their eighth win in nine games since Chester arrived to replace the departed Brian Smith.
Ben Jones-Bishop’s late try sealed the win and came with Wakefield down to 11 men following yellow cards for Anthony England and Danny Kirmond.
Chester said: “That was probably the most spirited and courageous performance from a group of players that I’ve seen in a long time.
“I couldn’t keep still for the last 10 minutes. I wasn’t particularly confident with five minutes to go, but we defended very well and deserved the win.
“I thought it was a very courageous performance. The amount of possession Warrington had in the second half really hurt us, but my boys kept turning up for each other.
“We were very good without the ball in the last five or 10 minutes. I’m very proud of the guys.”
Wakefield led 24-6 at half-time through tries from Matty Ashurst, Tom Johnstone and Craig Hall’s double, while Joe Westerman replied for Warrington.
Ashurst went in for another Wakefield try, only for Wolves to hit back with four unanswered tries before Jones-Bishop sealed victory for the home side.
Jones-Bishop’s crucial score came in the closing stages, with England and Kirmond in the sin-bin.
Kirmond was shown a yellow card for a high shot on Morgan Smith, while England and Warrington’s Kurt Gidley were sin-binned for fighting with 11 minutes remaining.
Jones-Bishop himself was sin-binned earlier in the second half and Matthew Russell took full advantage for Warrington, running in the third of the visitors’ second-half tries after Daryl Clark and Gidley crossed to revive their hopes.
While Smith converted a second try from Westerman to get the visitors to within four points of Wakefield, Liam Finn’s 12 points from the boot before that late Jones-Bishop try, helped them move into sixth in the table. °ÊWIDNES suffered their seventh straight Super League defeat, as Hull KR won for the second time in three matches to move within three points of safety thanks to a 24-10 home victory.
HUDDERSFIELD have signed former New Zealand Warriors back-row forward Sebastine Ikahihifo as a replacement for Brett Ferres.