Wakefield Trinity boss Daryl Powell has confirmed half-back Jake Trueman is in line for a return against Leigh Leopards on Sunday afternoon.
Trueman officially joined Trinity from Hull FC midway through the 2024 campaign, but didn’t make his debut for the Belle Vue outfit until their return to Super League had been sealed.
The 26-year-old’s competitive bow for Powell’s side came in an 82-0 Challenge Cup win against League 1 outfit Goole Vikings on February 8.
He has taken to the field just five times since then, and just once since a Challenge Cup win at Huddersfield Giants on March 16 which saw him suffer a back injury that has plagued him over the last few months.
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Wakefield Trinity coach delivers Jake Trueman update amid squad assessment ahead of Leigh Leopards clash
Prior to the break in the Super League calendar for the Challenge Cup final, Wakefield head coach Powell had circled Sunday’s clash with Leigh as the game Trueman would return.
And it looks like that will remain the case, with the Leopards visiting Belle Vue for the second time this season having been the side that knocked Trinity out of the cup in their own backyard at the beginning of April.
Speaking in Thursday afternoon’s pre-match press conference, Powell detailed: “There’ll be one or two (changes to the squad), but it won’t be massively different.
“The injuries that we’ve got are longer-term, so we’re not going to be too dissimilar.
“He (Trueman) has trained this week. We’ll see how he goes for the rest of the week now, and there’s potential that he’ll play.
“We’ll see where he’s at.”
Victory against the Leopards could see Trinity move into the Super League play-offs dependent on results elsewhere, such has been their form since returning to the top flight.
At the beginning of the weekend, the West Yorkshire outfit were only kept outside of the top six on points difference having won seven of their first 13 league games this term.
Powell said: “There’s been a real growth of belief of what we can do and growth in the understanding of what depth we’ve got as well with the amount of injuries that we’ve had.
“Harvey Smith and Josh Rourke are the two examples that stick out. They’ve had a lot of game time and shown that they can do really well at Super League level, and that’s been a big plus for us.”
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