Off-contract Wakefield star set for departure as coach explains reasoning
Will Tate in action for Wakefield Trinity in 2026
Off-contract back Will Tate looks set to leave Wakefield at the end of the season in search of regular game time, Trinity head coach Daryl Powell has confirmed.
Scunthorpe-born utility Tate arrived at Belle Vue ahead of the 2026 campaign, putting pen to paper on a one-year deal with Wakefield following his release from rivals Castleford Tigers.
The 24-year-old has gone on to score seven tries in ten appearances across all competitions for Trinity, impressing whenever given the opportunity.
But he is not at the top of the pecking order, and may have found himself even further down the list come 2027 with Powell adding Hull FC star Davy Litten to his ranks.
Off-contract Wakefield star Will Tate set for Belle Vue departure as coach explains reasoning
Tate tried his hand in both codes as a junior representing, Scunthorpe Rugby in union as well as Cottingham Tigers and Skirlaugh ARLFC in league before being picked up by Super League outfit Hull KR.
Rovers, Cas and Trinity are the only clubs he has been permanently contracted to, though during his time at Craven Park, he also featured on either loan or dual-registration for Workington Town, Rochdale Hornets and Dewsbury Rams.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Wakefield’s home clash against St Helens, head coach Powell was asked about Tate’s future and admitted: “That’s something we need to discuss.
“We’d toyed with the idea of offering Will a contract, but obviously Davy coming in makes it more difficult.
“We’ve got a couple of young outside-backs as well, Robbie Brook and Kian McGann, who are sniffing (around a first-team spot).”
Utility back Tate – who will turn 25 in December – has scored 23 tries in 51 professional appearances to date, including braces this term against both Hull FC and Catalans Dragons.
Powell added: “Will is going to want to play regular rugby next year, so I think he’d be better suited if he can go somewhere where he’s going to do that.
“He knows that, and he knows what he wants to do. That’s where it’s at, at the moment.”
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