Play-off boost for Wildcats

Wakefield's attempts to secure a place in the play-offs have been boosted with a 46-12 victory against Celtic Crusaders.

The Wildcats ran in a total of eight tries at the Hearwell Stadium, with Luke George (2), Sean Gleeson, Danny Brough, James Stosic, Tevita Leo-Latu (2) and Jason Demetriou all on the scoresheet.

Brough was sent off late in the game but nevertheless managed to convert seven of his side's eight scores for a convincing win against Super League's basement outfit.

After Michael Korkidas came close to scoring early on, it was George who broke the deadlock after 11 minutes.

Sam Obst made the initial half break before Brad Drew combined with Brough to find George and he did well to finish, avoiding a last-ditch tackle in the corner.

Brough added the extras and the second came just three minutes later after another break down the right-hand channel - Drew finding Gleeson before he went over from close range.

Brough was off target this time but got his name on the scoresheet in the 23rd minute when he intercepted a misplaced pass from Crusaders prop Mark Bryant.

The Wildcats scrum-half raced 40 metres to touch down under the posts, passing the injured Josh Hannay on his way as the latter limped off the field.

He also converted, with Wakefield's lead growing to 22 points in the 32nd minute when, Ryan Atkins and Scott Grix having probed the Crusaders' defence, a well-timed pass from Obst slipped Stosic through.

Momentum

The Wildcats' momentum continued into the second half and their next try came just three minutes after the interval when replacement Leo-Latu bulldozed his way over, with Brough converting.

And their sixth score came in the 53rd minute when a superb break from Brough resulted in Demetriou crossing and Brough converting.

Brough was then yellow-carded during a spell which saw the Crusaders improve considerably as they went about trying to limit the scoreline.

But their frustration was evident and an all-in brawl came midway through the second half.

Even so, they managed two tries of their own, the first coming after a Jace Van Dijk break when Mark Dalle Cort raced 35 metres for the try line just after the hour mark.

Leo-Latu helped himself to his second of the afternoon 10 minutes before the final hooter when he ran a good line and Brough found him from the play-the-ball.

George also bagged a brace following a good pass from Richard Moore.

Brough converted both, before he was dismissed for dissent, while Steven Tyrer scored a late converted try for the visitors.