Fantasy League: Wakefield Trinity

A tough 2020 for Wakefield Trinity left them second from bottom after just 5 wins all year. Chris Chester's side struggled to find any sort of form last season - losing 10 in a row mid way through the year - before a mini resurgence late on.

A new year and a new sense of hope for Trinity will see them approach 2021 with a clean slate as they look to build on some pleasing results at the back end of last year. 

Top performers

Reece Lyne

2020 points: 716

It wasn’t a great year to be in the Wakefield Trinity back line last season. Their underwhelming year is reflected in most of their backs scoring poorly in fantasy during 2020 – Lyne was the only back to average over 40 points (42.1) per game. He showed up well – missing just 2 games – and was a consistent scorer from his efforts in attack.

Lyne made 1977 metres from 230 carries - contributing to over a third of his fantasy points. He also made 46 tackle busts, 20 offloads and 7 clean breaks in 2020 – posing a threat whenever he carried the ball. Lyne only crossed for 2 tries last season – he scored 6, 8 and 9 tries in his previous 3 - so will be hoping to cross for a few more scores and replicate previous seasons in 2021.

Break by Lyne, Trin are in 🔥

A score before the half for @WTrinityRL live on @SkySportsRL #SuperLeague #SLWakSal pic.twitter.com/1Bs8IhPOWo
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) November 6, 2020

Eddie Battye

2020 points: 508

Battye joined Trinity mid-way through 2020 and made an immediate impression for the West Yorkshire side. The prop forward is no stranger to fantasy players - he enjoyed a strong season with London Broncos in 2019 - and he picked up where he left off straight away with his new side. Battye averaged a mightily impressive 63.5 points total from his 8 games in 2020 and will be an exciting prospect in 2021.

Just under half his points (249) were made from tackles – his defensive work rate was a key factor in his high scoring totals. He averaged over 100 metres and 17 carries a game, along with 21 tackle busts as well – a well-rounded forward who should be a key feature in the Trinity pack in 2021. 

Matty Ashurst

2020 points: 734

Trinity made a lot of tackles last year – more than any other team - which led to their forwards having some big stints in defence. Ashurst was no exception – he averaged 33 tackles a game - contributing to well over half of his weekly points average. He was also a big minute forward for Trinity - playing on average 74 minutes a match – showing his value as a durable edge player. 

Trinity’s attack should improve in 2021 – the acquisition of Mason Lino in the halves and less Covid related disruptions should allow some continuity for Chris Chester’s side. Ashurst is no slouch in attack – his 30 tackle busts, 899 metres, 11 offloads and 3 tries contributed to his final total – but should improve with a more dominant Trinity attack.

Kelepi Tanginoa

2020 points: 984

Tanginoa was Trinity’s go to man last season – the bustling back rower was one of the league’s best, earning himself a place in the 2020 Super League Dream Team. He was an ever present for Wakefield last year and showed great durability filling in at both prop and in the back row. That durability helped him earn close to 1000 points in fantasy at an average of 51.7 points per game.

He showed his ability in all areas of the field in 2020 – Tanginoa made big metres (1901), carries (258), tackles (479), tackle busts (55) and 6 tries in his first full year at Wakefield. Chris Chester will hope to play him in his favoured role on an edge in 2021 so should be a big minute strike player in the Wakefield back row. 

The 2020 @Betfred #SuperLeague Dream Team 👉 https://t.co/TydP4WyMO9 pic.twitter.com/oZHuwxit23
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) November 22, 2020

Joe Westerman

2020 points: 914

Westerman had an impressive season in fantasy – over 900 points with a 60.9 point average left him in the top bracket of players in 2020. Defensively sound, he made 474 tackles with a 94.6% tackle efficiency rate - his fantasy points benefitting from Trinity’s defensive workload across the year.

The experienced loose forward carried the ball often but made modest metres, averaging just under 80 metres a game. His ability to offload helped him earn points in attack, but an improvement to Trinity’s go forward in 2021 could see Westerman’s fantasy scores increase even more – making him an interesting prospect for the new season. 

One to watch

Harry Bowes

2020 points: 70

Young hooker Harry Bowes made 2 appearances for Trinity in 2020. His points average of 35 is impressive given his average time on the pitch was just 24 minutes – an incredible points return from the youngster.

Realistically, he may not feature often if not at all this year should Wakefield stay near full strength. Last season was unique for many reasons - several young players were given game time due to fixture congestion and Covid. However, Bowes has shown he can step up and do a job at dummy half if needed - so may be worth a spot on the bench should he be given an opportunity in 2021.