Hull KR and Wakefield Trinity clash on Saturday evening.
Wakefield and Hull KR go head to head once again.
Hull KR changed the Super League status quo last season. The Robins became just the fifth team to win the competition in its 30-year history – and they did it their own way.
Now they’re inspiring others to follow suit, and none more so than Wakefield Trinity. The ambitious West Yorkshire club are gearing up for a second successive play-off finish – and face Rovers this Saturday evening in the reverse clash of the game they won last month.
And for Daryl Powell, mastermind of Trinity’s recent rise, that big game feel is testament to how much the club has grown over the last two years, with another tasty clash now anticipated.
“I love the press stuff and our games are being built up as the game of the week,” he said ahead of the game. “I just think it’s great that we’ve got to a point where we’re being seen in that way.
“For us, it’s about justifying that tag now and making sure that we’re as good as we need to be. We’re looking in a great place. You can usually tell. I think we’ll need to be 100%. It should be a great game.”
With ten rounds to go, Wakefield sit fourth in Super League, two points off the second spot. They are well poised and believe their best is still to come.
“I’ve broken it up into two blocks like we always do and I think it’s a great opportunity rather than anything to fear,” Powell said on his side’s remaining ten games. “I think the challenge is there for us, 100%, but I feel like we’re growing and getting better and at this point of the season, if you can say that, then you’re going okay.
“I think our best is to come. I don’t think we’ve got to that yet so the beauty for us is to keep developing and growing individually, which gives us a chance to finish the season in a positive way and get ourselves where we need to be at the end of the year and then have a crack at it.
“I think our form has been really good. We’re winning games consistently. We’re not always finding outstanding performances but we end up finding a way to win the game, and I think we’ll have to be outstanding to win this game on Saturday, but that’s the beauty of it, isn’t it?
“That’s what we’re aiming for and what we’re striving for: to sit down and watch a performance back and be proud of it. There are some games this year where you have phenomenal efforts and we need to do that again.
“We need to be consistent and brave. You have to be brave and play with the ball; you’ve got to be brave defensively because they throw a lot at you. I’m just looking forward to it, really, walking in there, it gets the hairs on the back of your neck standing up.
“It’s exciting to play a game at Hull KR and we’re excited. We’re looking forward to what should be a great game and a great challenge.”
And on Rovers, who continue to be in the thick of the Super League action, Powell added: “This year was always going to be a challenge for them. I think they’ve done a pretty good job, to be honest.
“They’ve got themselves to a final after all that at the start of the year so you know that’s a testament to where they are as a team that they can do that, because backing up what they did last year is something that not many teams have to deal with.
“But they’re at home; it’s a massive challenge, it is wherever you play them, but at home, it’s an intimidating atmosphere when you walk in there. It’s one of the great atmospheres in rugby league, I think, you know, the song they sing before and how they’ve grown over the years.
“They haven’t been at their flying best over the last couple of weeks, but they’re still chalking wins off, and I think they’re a very difficult team to play against. They’ve got quality players everywhere, so for us, we need to be at our best – we need to be absolutely flying to get this job done.”