Wakefield stun Wigan 33-6 to reach first Super League Grand Final

Wakefield Trinity stunned Wigan Warriors 33-6 in Saturday's play-off semi-final, securing a place in the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford on 3 October. England winger Tom Johnstone said: "It's something I've dreamed about for years and it used to be a bit of a pipe dream."

Wakefield will meet Warrington Wolves in the title decider after a club revival that followed relegation in 2023 and a takeover by kitchen magnate Matt Ellis. That financial backing, combined with the leadership and experience of head coach Daryl Powell, has taken Wakefield from the Championship to the top end of Super League and, as the club put it, "now to within 80 minutes of becoming Super League champions." They finished fourth in the regular-season standings.

Johnstone, 31, who began his career with Wakefield and returned for Trinity's return to the top division at the start of 2025 after a two-year spell with Catalans Dragons, scored two of Wakefield's five tries against Wigan. He told BBC Two: "I went to Matt's kitchen factory with my agent and we had a chat about everything they want to achieve and everything they promised to do. We left and said: 'If they do any of that, it's going to be something special.' I couldn't say no."

Many expected Wigan to progress after a run of 16 successive wins and with the club seeking a second domestic treble in the space of three seasons, but Wakefield responded after falling behind early. Trinity capitalised on Adam Keighran's second-half yellow card, seized control of the contest and finished the match with 33 unanswered points to reach the Old Trafford showpiece.

Ex-England half-back Kevin Brown, working as a BBC pundit, described the display as "definitely their best ever performance in Super League" and added: "It's been an incredible story where we're at right now and we're going to run out of superlatives if they go and win it."

Captain Mike McMeeken, who has played in three previous Grand Finals with Castleford and Catalans and was part of the England side that played in a World Cup semi-final on home soil in 2022, said: "To take in an experience like this is up there as one of the best moments of my career so far."

Powell, who led a team into a Super League Grand Final before when his Castleford side lost to Leeds at Old Trafford in 2017, will face the club he coached for a season and a half before his exit midway through the 2023 campaign. He said: "It's not about me or my journey, it's about the players and how they're writing different scripts every time we take the field." He added: "It'll be awesome for the game. I think it's awesome that we're there in particular, Warrington have been there before. For us, it's about not getting too ahead of ourselves, playing the game as it is like we did tonight, and if we do that, we've got a great chance."

Whoever wins the Grand Final will be a first-time Super League champion; Wakefield and Warrington meet at Old Trafford on 3 October in the confirmed title decider.