On-loan winger Innes Senior scored four tries for Wakefield Trinity as they secured a fourth consecutive home win, beating Warrington Wolves 42-6; Wolves are experiencing their worst run in a single season since 2002 and Daryl Powell later left his position as head coach by mutual consent
Sunday 30 July 2023 19:12, UK
Bottom-of-the-table Wakefield overran Warrington 42-6 to continue their bid for Betfred Super League survival.
On-loan winger Innes Senior scored four tries for Wakefield as they secured a fourth consecutive home win.
The West Yorkshire club, written off by many after losing their opening 14 games of the season and failing to score in no fewer than five of them, ran in eight tries in front of a largely exuberant Be Well Support Stadium crowd.
Once-doomed Trinity are now level on points with near neighbours and fellow strugglers Castleford.
As well as Senior, Kevin Proctor, Tom Lineham, Liam Hood and Max Jowitt all crossed for the hosts, with the returning Luke Gale and Max Jowitt adding five goals between them.
Wolves, who conversely began the campaign with eight consecutive victories to top the table, now slip to sixth as Hull KR overhaul them on points difference.
An early second-half score from Paul Vaughan and Stefan Ratchford's conversion proved mere consolation as Warrington's fifth successive defeat - their seventh loss in eight league games - piled more pressure on Daryl Powell and he later left his position as head coach by mutual consent.
This is Wolves' worst run in a single season since 2002.
Senior, only days after signing on loan from Huddersfield, had opened the floodgates for Wakefield when he crossed in the corner, although Gale, just back from injury, failed to judge a blustery wind and was wide with the conversion attempt.
Within five minutes, forceful prop Proctor used his size and strength to bundle his way over nearer the posts and Gale added the two points to take Trinity into double figures.
Senior was on hand to score again in the same corner and, while Gale was wayward once more with the subsequent kick, he atoned by slotting a penalty, following a rash high shot from Ben Currie, shortly afterwards.
Senior completed his hat-trick in the 30th minute, again outpacing his opposite number to the corner flag.
In the wake of Gale's trouble, Jowitt assumed the kicking duties and proved more profitable, judging the blustery wind to perfection in goaling from the touchline to give Wakefield a 22-0 half-time advantage.
Australian prop Vaughan forced his way through a ruck of defenders to put Warrington on the scoreboard just after the restart as the visitors attempted to make progress with the wind in their favour.
But Lineham scored for Trinity, once more in the corner, then Liam Hood burrowed his way over from dummy half, with Jowitt converting the latter try to further frustrate Wolves' comeback efforts.
Jowitt had a try ruled out for a double movement while Lineham caused more late excitement with an interception and 70-metre dash down Trinity's right.
Senior claimed his fourth try minutes from time before Jowitt also crossed to complete the rout.
Speaking after the game and before the news of his departure was released at 9pm on Sunday, Daryl Powell was brutally honest in his assessment of the Cheshire side's heaviest defeat of the season.
"I don't think we did anything well today," Powell said. "Wakefield played well so give them credit but we were really poor on every level.
"We looked really vulnerable. We trained really well but were really shocking and I am disappointed with what I've seen."
He accused players, especially in the middle unit, of not putting enough effort in, with the club on their worst run of results in a single season for over 20 years.
Powell also inferred there would be changes to his squad in the next few days.
He said: "We've signed Jordy Crowther and got James Harrison to come back in [from injury] but I think we'll add at least one player to them [before the August 4 deadline]."
