Wakefield Trinity play host to Hull FC tomorrow afternoon in Danny Kirmond and Danny Washbrook’s testimonial match. (Kick-Off 2pm).
The winner of the game will pick up the David Topliss Memorial Trophy in memory of the former Trinity and Hull legend and a member of both clubs’ Halls of Fame.
Both sides have had one previous pre-season hit-out, with Trinity playing Leeds Rhinos on Boxing Day and the Black & Whites convincingly beating dual-registration partners, Doncaster, at the Keepmoat Stadium last weekend.
Chris Chester and Lee Radford have both agreed to name strong squads, which should set up for an exciting game!
For Trinity, Max Jowitt will feature for the first time in pre-season and will start at full-back. Tom Johnstone is also in line to play, having sat out on Boxing Day following international duty. That means Bill Tupou will revert to his natural position of centre. And the Trinity fans will get a glimpse of Ben Reynolds for the first time, as the former Leigh half-back is named on the bench.
Kyle Wood will sit out this weekend with a sore back, though. But thankfully, it’s nothing to worry about and he should be available for selection for next weeks friendlies against Newcastle Thunder and Huddersfield Giants, respectively. Ryan Hampshire is also not named in the squad, having only just returned to training following an illness.
Speaking to the Trinity Media Team during the week, Head Coach Chris Chester said:
“So far, so good (pre-season). We’ve no injuries, which is always a positive at this time of year.
“We had a really good hit-out against Leeds. It was a really positive performance, especially defensively.
Chester was also full of praise for Danny Kirmond ahead of his testimonial game.
“He deserves it. He’s been a fantastic servant to the club. Everybody needs to get out and support him. He’s a very loyal person, he had opportunities to move elsewhere but choose to stay loyal to the club. Over a number of years, he’s been a fantastic captain and deserves a fantastic turnout. So does Danny Washbrook who’s a player that I played with at Hull. He’s been a great servant to Hull FC and Wakefield Trinity, too.”
Trinity Squad: Annakin, Arona, Arundel, Ashurst, Baldwinson, Batchelor, Brough, Crowther, England, Fifita, Hirst, Horo, Huby, Johnstone, Jones-Bishop, Jowitt, King, Kirmond, Kopczak, Lyne, Miller, Pauli, Randell, Reynolds, Tupou.
Hull FC Squad: Brown, Connor, Cox, Dawson-Jones, Faraimo, Fash, Hadley, Harris, Houghton, Kelly, Lane, Langtree, Litten, Logan, Matongo, Miloudi, Naulago, Nzoungou, Paea, Patterson-Lund, Scott, Shaul, Taylor, Thompson, Washbrook, Wynne.