For the first time since 1979, Trinity return to the national stadium on Saturday and coach Daryl Powell has urged his players to do themselves and their fans justice on a day which many thought would never come. It may not be the afternoon’s biggest attraction, but Powell stressed the 1895 Cup final against Sheffield Eagles is “a really big occasion” for the club.
“You can see the excitement in the fans,” Powell – who won at Wembley as a player with Leeds Rhinos and Great Britain and coached Castleford Tigers there three years ago – said. “The players are buzzing so I don’t think it matters what competition it is.
“If you look at football, play-off games are held there currently, and everyone still views them as exceptional. We have a fantastic opportunity here. Though it will be a difficult game, you must go there and give yourselves a fair shot.
After being demoted from the Betfred Super League the previous season, Trinity has only lost once, that being in the Challenge Cup against Featherstone Rovers. They visited Sheffield, who is currently in third place in the Championship, last month and triumphed 36–10. They currently lead the league by five points.
However, Powell emphasized that the opponents this weekend shouldn’t be taken lightly based only on previous Wembley experience. In 1998, Eagles coach Mark Aston was named player of the match when his team pulled off one of the biggest upsets in stadium history, shocking the Wigan Warriors. Five years prior, the team had defeated the Widnes Vikings to win the 1895 Cup.
Powell remarked, “I’ve talked to the players about Sheffield’s history.” We are aware of their ability to ascend. I don’t think that game matters at all, although we played them a few weeks ago. It is crucial that we play the game how we want to, don’t overthink anything, accept the game for what it is, and give it our all.
Powell believes that since Trinity entered each game this season as the favorites, it won’t affect them. “I don’t think that matters too much, but it’s the same every week, there’s always a target on our back,” he continued. All we need to do is go play well and try not to worry too much about it.
“We must honor the game and carry out our routine. The players have played really well, but we want to be a bit more consistent throughout the course of the 80 minutes. They approach things with a really nice vibe, and we have capable players at every position. All we need to do is focus on our game and ignore the unimportant details.
Leave a Reply