Third placed Warrington Wolves visited sixth placed Wakefield Trinity on a sunny Sunday afternoon in West Yorkshire with both sides desperate for the points. Warrington were looking to overcome last weeks home loss to Castleford while Wakefield needed to maintain the pressure on the top four and not lose momentum.
Warrington were 34-24 winners when the sides met at the Halliwell-Jones at the end of March but Trinity have won three out of their last four outings including the brilliant 32-16 win over Wigan Warriors last time out.
Wakefield were unchanged from last week, while Warrington replaced Joe Philbin with Dominic Crosby on the bench.
Stefan Ratchford opened the scoring on four minutes when he collected a Kevin Brown precision kick to the corner and ground. Harvey Livett added the extras for a 6-0 lead, the perfect start for the visitors.
Josh Charnley and Stefan Ratchford combined on ten minutes with a great break from the winger and pass inside for his full-back to cross for his second. Livett added the extras from ten metres in from the touchine, Warrington scoring at a point a minute.
Warrington opted to take a Livett penalty on twenty-two after Ben Westwood had been held down for a 14-0 lead.
A superb Warrington try came on twenty-three when Bryson Goodwin went down the wing before putting in a superb kick which Tom Lineham got himself on the end of to score. Livett added the conversion for a 20-0 lead.
Tinirau Arona got Trinity on the board after back-to-back penalties, as he went over from close on thirty-two and Ryan Hampsire added the extras to reduce the arrears to fourteen points.
When Warrington got a penalty on thirty-six the again elected for Livett to take the two to futher extend the lead from forty metres out. The Wolves defended their way to the interval and a deserved 22-6 half time lead.
A dreadful start for Wakefield, spilling the kick off gifted Warrington a penalty which was kicked by Goodwin, with Livett off the field receiving treatment.
But Trinity granned the first four pointer of the half on forty-five when Kyle Wood made the most of a mix-up in the Warrington defence to score the try. Hampshire added the extras and Trinity trailed by two converted tries.
Back-to-back tries for Wakefield got them right back in the game when Kyle Wood got his second again after confusion in the Wolves defence. Hampshire added the extras and the home side were now within six points of the visitors.
On the third penalty in quick time the Wolves elected to kick, after running the earlier two, and Goodwin slotted the ball between the uprights for 26-18.
Kevin Brown edged Warrington towards the points when he backed up Lineham and went thirty metres to score just to the left of the uprights. Goodwin added the conversion for a 32-18 lead.
Akauola was sin-binned on seventy-six and a minute later Johnstone wrongfooted Josh Charnley to go in. Ryan Hampshire added the conversion for 24-32, there was enough breathing space for Warrington with just two minutes left.
Pauli Pauli scored a seventy-ninth minute Trinity try, going through a big gap in the Wolves defence and Hampshire added the extras with just seconds on the clock for 30-32.
This was far closer than it should have been for Warrington who spent long periods of the game in total control but who almost blew it in the end and were outscored by five tries to four. The boots of Goodwin and Livett won the match and Trinity will count themselves as very unluckly not to have secured an important win.
Trinity: Jowitt, Jones-Bishop, Tupou, Lyne, Johnstone (T), Miller, Hampshire (5G), Fifita, Randell, England, Pauli (T), Ashurst, Horo. Subs: Wood (2T), Kirmond, Arona (T), Hirst.
Wolves: Ratchford (2T), Lineham (T), Goodwin (3G), Atkins, Charnley, Brown K (T), Roberts, Hill, Clark, Cooper, Livett (5G), Hughes, Westwood. Subs: Murdoch-Masila, Patton, Akauola (SB on 76), Crosby.
Referee: Chris Kendall.
Half-Time: 6-22.
Full-Time: 30-32.
Attendance: 5,034.
