Wakefield coach reveals extraordinary referee message as Trinity red card slammed

Wakefield coach Daryl Powell admits he asked his staff to personally calm down referee Aaron Moore during their win over Hull KR on Saturday – insisting he ‘lost his cool’.

Trinity prevailed over the reigning Super League and world champions after a dramatic and crazy game at the DIY Kitchens Stadium which saw Wakefield lose Matty Storton to a red card, before Sauaso Sue followed suit for the Robins.

Ultimately, Mason Lino’s late try and conversion was enough to secure a 26-24 win and move Wakefield up to third.

But Powell could not ignore the refereeing controversy post-match – calling the game ‘crazy’ and ‘mad’ before admitting he asked his staff on the touchline to tell Moore to calm down as things boiled over.

‘It was a crazy game’

“It was a crazy game. The first half was mad,” he said. “The referee, he lost his cool, and I feel like that had an impact on his decision-making.

“I sent a message down to try to calm the referee down if we could. The game was just carnage, and there were a couple of decisions that I couldn’t get my head around. We put him (Hull KR’s Peta Hiku) into touch, he never stopped moving, and they scored on the back of it.

“The second half, I thought, was mental. We didn’t handle it very well until the back end, which was class execution.”

Storton red debated

Storton’s red card was also questioned by Powell. He had earlier scored a crucial try for Wakefield but was sent off after making contact with James Batchelor’s head – something the Wakefield coach disagreed with.

But Powell was adamant he was proud of his side for how they handled an emotional day, on an afternoon when the life and career of former Trinity boss John Kear was remembered following his sudden and tragic passing last weekend.

“The first one for Matty Storton looks like a video referee call. It’s not a send-off for me,” Powell said.

“I’ll have to have a look back. I’ve seen the replays, but I need to look at it in a little more detail. It doesn’t appear to me that he strikes him in the head.“  can’t understand that. I don’t think people are getting sent off for those. That was surprising.

“It is what it is. Thankfully for us, we managed to win the game on an emotional day and pull something out of it. Hull KR did a great job coming out of it. They were super competitive, got after us and looked good enough to win it until the end. I’m pleased we were good enough to win it.”