Reserves run out winners against Wakefield

• Match Report as Wigan Warriors Reserves run out winners against Wakefield Trinity Reserves.
• Toby Brannan scored a brace of tries to help Wigan to victory on Saturday afternoon.
• FT | Wakefield Trinity 20-24 Wigan Warriors.

Wigan Warriors Reserves held on for victory after a late surge from hosts Wakefield Trinity to make it ten wins from ten and remain unbeaten in 2022.

Both sides ran in four tries on Saturday afternoon, but Wakefield were left to rue the opportunity as two missed kicks saw them trail by 4-points for Wigan to take home the points.

Report

A high intensity start saw Wakefield’s O’Donovan sent off in only the 2nd minute of the match after an altercation following an early tackle, as Trinity had to play out the remainding 78-minutes with 12-men.

Wakefield put in a huge effort with the player disadvantage as they managed to keep Wigan at bay, but it was Jacob Smillie who broke the deadlock on 10 minutes as he sailed in at the left hand corner, converted by O’Keefe to make it 6-0.

Almost immediately, Wigan were in again as a great break downfield from Logan Astley allowed the half back to touch the ball down, O’Keefe added the extras to put Wigan out to 12-0. Though great determination saw Trinity respond in the 22nd minute, as Luke Mearns muscled his way over before Butterworth added the extras, it was 12-6 and game on.

Wigan restored their 12-point lead on the half hour mark as forward Toby Brannan got in on the action, crashing over and a third successful conversion from the boot of O’Keefe took it to 18-6 at the half time break.

Brad O’Neill was sent to the sin bin shortly after the restart for dissent, but it was Wigan who notched the next score as Toby Brannan went over for his second of the afternoon and O’Keefe was on target once more to put the Warriors 24-6 up.

Despite still being at a player disadvantage, Wakefield launched a credible resurgence to pull the game back into contention as Beevers went over on the hour mark, before Haywood-Scriven shortened the lead on 65 minutes. Butterworth could only manage one of the two conversions though and the score was 24-16 in Wigan’s favour heading into the final 10 minutes.

The teams were level with 12-men on the field going into the final stages with Alex Sutton being sent to the sin bin in the 74th minute, having deemed to have stolen the ball in the tackle and Wakefield took the advantage as Oliver Farrar finished off a great move, built up by Dane Windrow, in the 77th minute to put the frighteners on the Cherry & Whites but Butterworth couldn’t add the extras and the hosts trailed by four.

Both teams were fighting for the points in the dying minutes, but with no further scores Wigan hung on for the 24-20 win as they made it ten successive wins and keeping the unbeaten in 2022.

Gallery:

Wakefield Trinity: Robbie Butterworth, Kyle Evans, Oliver Farrar, Carter Beevers, Samuel Kavanagh, Ryan Kirkwood, Kobe Poching, Isaac Shaw, Joshua Phillips, Jordan Schofield, Dane Windrow, Luke Mearns, Patrick O’Donovan.

Interchange: Jake Camplin, Ellis Roberts, Jay Haywood-Scriven, Ethan Wood.

Tries: Mearns (22′), Beevers (60′), Haywood-Scriven (65′), Farrar (77′)

Goals: Butterworth 2/4

Red Card: O’Donovan (2′)

Wigan Warriors: Reagan Sumner, Tom Mitchell, Ben O’Keefe, Alex Sutton, Jacob Smillie, Kieran Tyrer, Logan Astley, Jack Bibby, Brad O’Neill, Toby Brannan, Finley Beardsworth, Reece Stanton, Harvey Wilson.

Interchange: Ryan Brown, Reece Bushell, Tom Ratchford, Harry Smithers.

Tries: Smillie (10′), Astley (13′), Brannan (30′, 49′)

Goals: O’Keefe 4/4

Sin Bin: O’Neill (43′), Sutton (74′)