Wakefield Wildcats preview

Demetriou: Crucial to Wildcats

Damien Blanch was possibly National League One's best player in 2007 and Scott Grix wasn't far behind him. Oliver Wilkes is another of their new faces and it will be interesting to see if John Kear can work the magic with him that saw Richard Moore have such a good season last time out.

Phil Clarke
Quotes of the week

In: Tony Martin, Danny Brough (Castleford), Brad Drew, Paul Reilly (both Huddersfield), Damien Blanch, Oliver Wilkes, Scott Grix (all Widnes)
Out:Mark Applegarth (released), David March, Paul March (both York), Waine Pryce (Featherstone), Mark Field (Dewsbury), Ben Jeffries, Semi Tadulala (both Bradford), Peter Fox (Hull KR), Olivier Elima (Catalans), Ned Catic (Lyon), Paul White (Salford).

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John Kear embarks on his second season in charge of Wakefield hoping to maintain the progess they showed last year.

Read Phil Clarke's verdict

After narrowly avoiding the drop on the final day of the 2006 season, the Wildcats comfortably finished eighth in 2007, although they never really threatened to make it into the play-offs.

While other sides have bought big, the smaller budget at Belle Vue means Kear has had to search hard for additions to his squad.

The capture of Brad Drew is certainly a coup after he was so influential in helping Huddersfield finish in the top six.

There is also a not-so old face returning to play in Super League. Tony Martin spent two seasons with the London Broncos, playing in the inaugural year of Super League, before returning Down Under.

Now he is back to play in the centres for the Wildcats, meaning influential skipper Jason Demetriou will likely switch to loose forward.

Wakefield's coach has also raided National League One, snapping up scrum-half Danny Brough from Castleford to replace the departed Ben Jeffries.

Damien Blanch, Oliver Wilkes and Scott Grix all missed out on promotion to the top tier with Widnes but will now get their chance to impress in Super League.

Kear is no stranger to uncovering rough diamonds after picking up Richard Moore last year, a move that turned out to be a masterstroke as the prop enjoyed his best ever season.

With strength in depth and plenty of wise old heads around, Wakefield should find themselves above the battle for the wooden spoon again, no doubt upsetting a few big names along the way.

One to watch: Brad Drew
The Australian was crucial to the Giants last season and the Wildcats will hope he can have a similar impact at Belle Vue.
Live on Sky: v Harlequins
Saturday, February 23 - Sky Sports 1, 5.30pm
Regular season odds: 66/1
For a full list of odds from Sky Bet click here

Phil Clarke's verdict

Last season the Wildcats beat both Leeds and St Helens on their way to eight spot and probably came top of their little 'mini league' which includes the likes of Harlequins, Catalans, Hull KR and Salford.

I put them in that bracket simply because they don't have the financial clout of the two sides that finished above them, Warrington and Wigan. In losing all four games against rivals Huddersfield and the last four games their season ended on a sad note after a remarkable year.

But John Kear has been busy in the close-season and has brought in Brad Drew - who made more breaks than Man of Steel James Roby last season - to replace Bradfod-bound Ben Jeffries and Paul Reilly to fill the void left by Semi Tadulala or Peter Fox.

Damien Blanch was possibly National League One's best player in 2007 and Scott Grix wasn't far behind him. Oliver Wilkes is another of their new faces and it will be interesting to see if John Kear can work the magic with him that saw Richard Moore have such a good season last time out.

And Tony Martin who, you might recall, missed out to Lee Briers as the Super League Young Player of the Year back in 1997, comes with a good pedigree, fresh from 13 appearances for the NZ Warriors Down Under.

One big change has seen Kear switch Jason Demetriou to 13 having made the most breaks by any outside back in Super League XII. Will he be as devastating now that he is in the Back Row?

If he can match those breaks from loose forward then he knows Jamie Rooney will be there in support. But they will miss the kicking ability of Ben Jeffries, especially when it comes to scoring tries. He created 13 tries last year from kicks alone, third only to Stacey Jones and Lee Briers.