While Barrow Raiders are currently sitting in eleventh place in the Championship, they are only one point away from being in the top half of the table and only two away from the play-off positions, their current league location belying some excellent performances in 2024 which has meant some narrow losses.
But the likelihood was that this would be a game that would not help the home side improve on their situation as they welcomed the side who many had already crowned champions and promoted back to Super League before a single ball was kicked in this season’s competition, the high-flying Wakefield Trinity who remain unbeaten through twelve league outings.
The home side were given a massive twenty-two-point start on the handicap coupon; the points already being waved goodbye as they set off for West Yorkshire.
Unsurprisingly it was Wakefield who drew first blood on five minutes when they exploited an overlap with fast hands, Oliver Pratt finding space by the left corner flag and grounding despite the keen attention of the Barrow defence. Max Jowitt was unable to add the conversion in strong swirling wind.
On fifteen the visitors doubled their lead when Derrell Olpherts took a Jowitt miss-out pass to go through the defensive line to score, Jowitt adding the extras this time for a 10-0 lead.
Jack Croft was sin-binned for Wakefield on twenty-six for being offside after a sequence of offences had see Trinity on a team warning.
Five minutes before the interval and the lead was further extended by the twelve men with Jay Pitts crashing in for a short range try. Jowitt added the conversion to take his side into the interval with a 16-0 lead.
An easy try for Olpherts was the opening scoring action of the second half thanks to fleet of foot from Jowitt and a long pass to the winger. Jowitt was short and wide into a strong wind, Wakefield with a 20-0 lead.
Olpherts completed his hat-trick on fifty-six as Wakefield exploited a three on one overlap, the winger taking a pinpoint Matty Ashurst pass to go over in the corner. Jowitt was still struggling with the wind and missed another conversion.
The sixth try came from nowhere as Wakefield appeared to lose the ball but regained with Lachlan Walmsley taking the final pass to cross. Walmsley took over the kicking duties and hit the target to bring up thirty points.
Wakefield were down to twelve again on sixty-six after Luke Bain hit Ryan Johnston after the ball had gone and felt the wrath of referee Griffiths.
Josh Griffin added his name to the Wakefield try-scorers list as he took a Gale pass to walk in for the seventh try of the afternoon. Walmsley drilled his conversion between the uprights for 36-0, the pain increasing for the home side.
Walmsley joined Bain in the bin after a high tackle on seventy-two to reduce the visitors to eleven men, but Barrow still couldn’t break through the professional sides line and register any points as Wakefield secured the win.
The outcome was never in doubt, but strong defence and unpredictable wind denied Wakefield on a few occasions and kept the scoreline down to some extent. The Trinity backs ran riot, marshalled by Luke Gale and Max Jowitt with no answer from the home side. It’s thirteen from thirteen for the league leaders as they continue their relentless march back to the Super League, Barrow left with a very tough job to make the play-offs.
Barrow Raiders: Cresswell, Bulman, Costello, Broadbent, Shaw, Walker B, Johnston, Gillam, Wood, Silva, Greenwood, Stack, Worthington. Subs: Smith, Wilkinson, Clarke, Walker T. 18th Man: McMillan.
Wakefield Trinity: Jowitt (2/4 G), McGillvary, Croft (SB on 26), Pratt (T), Olpherts (3T), Gale, Kay, Bowden, Hood, Atoni, Ashurst, Griffin (T), Pitts. Subs: Walmsley (T, 2/2 G, SB on 72), Uele, Bain (SB on 66), Smith. 18th Man: Booth.
Half-Time: 0-16.
Full-Time: 0-36.
Score Progression: 0-4, 0-8, 0-10, (SB), 0-14, 0-16 :HT: 0-20, 0-24, 0-28, 0-30, (SB), 0-34, 0-36, (SB) :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Wakefield.
Referee: Marcus Griffiths.
