Wakefield Trinity boss Daryl Powell reveals why he couldn’t walk away from rugby league after Warrington Wolves sacking
Boxing Day saw Daryl Powell return to the dugout for the first time since his Warrington Wolves sacking - Alamy
Daryl Powell admits he could never have walked away from rugby league after his Warrington Wolves sacking as he couldn’t bare the thought of that being his final coaching experience.
Powell led Wakefield Trinity for the first time on Boxing Day, as a patched up side threatened to shock Leeds Rhinos at Headingley before seeing their 22-6 half-time lead turn into a 41-22 defeat.
The coveted British coach endured a miserable 21 months at the Halliwell Jones Stadium before his latest assignment at Wakefield, one he believes could be an ‘awesome journey’ following the club’s relegation to the Championship.
Wakefield Trinity boss Daryl Powell reveals why he couldn’t walk away from rugby league after Warrington Wolves sacking
Brought in as the man to finally deliver Warrington’s elusive Grand Final win, Powell’s Wolves had instead flirted with relegation and saw big-name players leave the club before the coach finally paid the price himself in the summer.
Many felt that might be it for the 58-year old, who had previously become part of the furniture at Castleford Tigers before his move across the Pennines.
But Powell took only two weeks to realise he could not leave rugby league with the bitter experience of Warrington so fresh and so ready to taint his legacy.
“I took a couple of weeks after Warrington to reflect then I thought I just can’t leave it at that,” Powell told Love Rugby League.
And after one meeting with the new millionaire Wakefield owner Matt Ellis, Powell knew he had one more big project in him.
“Matt got in touch and asked to meet me and then sold me his vision. I bought straight away into what he was talking about which is pretty easy when there is someone like him talking about the club in the way that he does and how much he believes in the club having been a supporter for so many years.
“I think that everyone has bought into where we want to take the club and it’s going to be an awesome journey. I’m just looking forward now to the challenges that we are presented with.
“We have been through six or seven weeks of training and the boys have gone after it and looked pretty good. Their attitude has been outstanding.”