Wakefield not panicking after consecutive nillings
Picture by Ed Sykes/SWpix.com
Wakefield coach Mark Applegarth insists there is no doom and gloom at his club after they went down 8-0 to Huddersfield.
Wakefield have yet to win a game this season and are bottom of Betfred Super League after three games.
Trinity were smashed 60-0 by Wigan last week, and failed to score a single point for two weeks in a row, but Applegarth claims there is no panic at the relegation favourites.
Applegarth said: “We’re in round three and we’ve played three out of last year’s top four, it’s not panic now.
“It’s not doom and gloom by any means. There’s a lot of effort there and a lot of things we can work with.
“The effort and application is there, we just have to get a bit smarter in certain parts of the field. We have to put our attack together we showed against Catalans and our defence we showed tonight.”
MORE: Five takeaways from Friday night’s Super League action
Story of the game
After all the concern over Trinity’s new artificial pitch during the week, with talk the match could be postponed over safety issues, only Giants half-back Theo Fages wore protective clothing.
Only on Wednesday the RFL confirmed the game would go ahead after a late pitch inspection.
It was a tense first half, with neither side able to break down the other.
Huddersfield dominated field position and possession, but lacked execution and the final telling pass in attack.
Wakefield suffered a blow when winger Lewis Murphy was forced from the field after falling awkwardly on his knee when landing on the ground.
Trinity reshuffled their backline with Taufau moving to the wing and Eseh coming on.
Both teams struggled to crack the opposition’s defence and it remained scoreless at half-time.
In the second half the deadlock was finally broken, in the 42nd minute through a Lolohea penalty goal.
It was the sniff the visitors needed and they then went 8-0 ahead 15 minutes later, when Joe Greenwood crashed through some soft defence near the posts to cross.
Lolohea added the extras from right in front and Huddersfield cruised ahead.
Trinity looked to muster a response in the final stages but lacked ideas and struggled to break through the Giants’ waterproof defence.
As the clock wore down Wakefield threw the ball around, but to no avail as Huddersfield claimed a maiden victory.
Match details
Wakefield: Kay; Kershaw, Langi, Taufua, Murphy; Gaskell, Lino; Whitbread, Hood, Atoni, Pitts, Ashurst, Crowther. Subs: Smith, Battye, Proctor, Eseh.
Huddersfield: Lolohea, McGillvary, Marsters, Bibby, Cudjoe, Pryce, Fages, Hill, Peats, Wilson, McQueen, Jones, Yates. Subs: Trout, Golding, English, Greenwood.
Try: Greenwood. Goals: Lolohea 2
