The Wildcats were one of the success stories of last season, claiming a place in the play-offs after a remarkable run of form at the end of the season. They will be hoping to do the same again in 2013.
Ins and outs
In sharp contrast to last year, the Wildcats go into Super League XVIII with a very settled squad.
Signings were kept to a minimum with Justin Poore, an Australian prop who represented New South Wales in all three games of the 2009 State Of Origin series, the headline capture.
He brings size and aggression to the Wakefield front-row which is also boosted by the loan signing of Brad Singleton from Leeds. The England academy international is held in very high regard at Headingley and has made a good impression in two pre-season friendlies.
The only other arrival was a low-key one but Reece Lyne could prove to be the shrewdest signing of all. He was a shooting star at Hull a few years ago and arrives at the Rapid Solicitor Solutions Stadium with a point to prove.
He's been Wakefield's outstanding player through pre-season, making a series of searing breaks in the heavy defeat at St Helens and is a three-quarter to watch in 2013.
Outlook
Dave Ord is editor of sportinglife.com having worked on the site for the last 12 years. He's was sole editorial contributor to the Wakefield Trinity matchday programme or seven years from the late 1990s during which time it was voted the worst in Super League in a fans poll. Like the publication, he's bounced back since.
Here are his thoughts on the season ahead...
"Clearly we were spoiled a little last year, in fact it was a shame the season had to end. By the time we arrived at Headingley in the play-offs the side were full of confidence and playing a fantastic attacking brand of rugby. So can we do it again?
There's no reason to think not. The squad has a very settled look. The inclusion of Justin Poore adds an enforcer to a pack that is more than a match for most in the top flight and the permanent deals for Richie Mathers and Paul Sykes were no-brainers after last term.
Sykes' switch to stand-off allowed Tim Smith to blossom and much of the Wildcats hopes for this season revolve around that pair firing again.
However there are one or two worrying pre-season signs on the injury front. Kyle Wood is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an eye injury. With Andy Ellis having departed the club for Featherstone it leaves Wakefield light in the hooker department.
Matty Wildie will be asked to fill a void but with Tim Smith struggling with a leg injury and Paul Aiton still getting back to full fitness, Wakefield could be light in some crucial areas, especially early in the season.
Andy Raleigh and Lee Smith may also miss the start of the campaign, at the time of writing Kyle Amor has yet to feature in a friendly following shoulder surgery, so it's clear Agar hasn't had the smooth passage into the new season he'd have liked.
That said he can go to war with a squad he knows well and at a club firmly on the up. With over 4,000 season tickets sold and positive news expected on the proposed new stadium at Newmarket, there's every reason to believe this can be another good year for the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats."
