Wakefield Trinity boss Daryl Powell has confirmed half-back Jake Trueman is in line for a return against Leigh Leopards on Sunday afternoon.
Trueman officially joined Trinity from Hull FC midway through the 2024 season, although he did not make his debut for the Belle Vue club until their return to the Super League was confirmed.
On February 8, the 26-year-old made his competitive debut for Powell’s side, defeating League 1 outfit Goole Vikings 82-0 in the Challenge Cup match.
He has played only five games since then, and only once since a Challenge Cup victory against the Huddersfield Giants on March 16, when he suffered a back ailment that has hampered him for the past few months.
Wakefield Trinity coach delivers Jake Trueman update amid squad assessment ahead of Leigh Leopards clash
Prior to the Super League calendar break for the Challenge Cup final, Wakefield head coach Powell had marked Sunday’s game against Leigh as the one in which Trueman would return.
And it appears that will continue, as the Leopards return to Belle Vue for the second time this season after knocking Trinity out of the cup in their own backyard at the beginning of April.
Powell stated in Thursday afternoon’s pre-match news conference: “There will be one or two (changes to the squad), but it will not be significantly different.
“The injuries we’ve sustained are long-term, so we won’t be too different.
“He (Trueman) trained this week. We’ll see how he does for the remainder of the week, and he may play.
“We’ll see where he’s at.”
Trinity’s form since returning to the top division suggests that a victory over the Leopards might propel them into the Super League play-offs, depending on other outcomes.
At the start of the weekend, the West Yorkshire outfit was only kept out of the top six by points differential, having won seven of their first 13 league games this season.
Powell stated, “There’s been a great growth in our belief in what we can achieve, as well as an increase in our awareness of our depth given the number of injuries we’ve had.
“The two most obvious examples are Harvey Smith and Josh Rourke. They’ve had a lot of game time and demonstrated that they can perform effectively at Super League level, which has been a huge advantage for us.”
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