By Sebastian Sternik
WAKEFIELD TRINITY 16-41 ST. HELENS Att. 5,820
Wakefield Tries: Ashurst, Grix, Caton-Brown
Goals: Finn (2)
St. Helens Tries: Richardson, Roby, Makinson, Grace, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Taia
Goals: Percival (8)
Drop Goals: Richardson
Wakefield Trinity ended their regular season on a disappointing note after suffering a 16-41 defeat to St. Helens.
Justin Holbrook’s side scored six tries while Mark Percival kicked 16 points to dominate proceedings in West Yorkshire.
Saints looked sharp from the very first whistle and took the lead inside the first ten minutes as Danny Richardson went over. However the visitors failed to complete their next set and were made to pay as Matty Ashurst evened things up.
That was as good as things got for Wakefield in that first half as tries from James Roby, Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace put Saints 24-6 up at the interval.
HT: Wakefield Trinity 6-24 St. Helens #rugbyleague #SLWakSth @valley_radio pic.twitter.com/MD2cQAK8CB
— Seb Sternik (@seb_strk) 23 July 2017
Trinity came out fighting following the restart as tries from Scott Grix and Mason Caton-Brown threatened a comeback.
However, 15 points in the final ten minutes was enough to clinch the two points for Saints as they gain evermore momentum ahead of the much anticipated Super 8s.
Speaking after the game Chris Chester felt disappointed about the final result but remained highly optimistic about the season so far.
He said: “They came out of the blocks a lot quicker than us. We just couldn’t contain their forward pack.
“It’s disappointing and we’re hurting a little bit but I’m also very proud of this group of players as they have achieved what many said they couldn’t achieve.
“It hurts like hell that we not only thrown third place away but fourth as well. In the grand scheme of things though we’ve got to be happy.”
Justin Holbrook also spoke after the game and said:
“That was a really good performance from us today. We knew we needed it and it was really pleasing to see the boys play like they did today.
“That first half was really pleasing. We knew how big a game it would be for both teams and I thought we really turned up.
“We lost our way a bit in the second half but we found towards the back end of the game.”
Both teams now turn their attention to the Super 8s which kicks off next week. As Wakefield just missed out on a fourth place they will now have one game less at home.
For St. Helens this was a performance which brings them back into the conversation as potential contenders for the Super League crown. Despite a slow start to the season, the Lancashire outfit are getting better and better with every game. Holbrook’s side are now three games unbeaten.
West Yorkshire Sports Blog 