A WIN going into the 'do or die' semi-final against St Helens is important, but The Wire will have to produce a massive improvement on this display to overcome the League Leaders' Shield winners on Thursday.

Steve Price's side made themselves vulnerable in the first half against Wakefield by a stream of handling mistakes.

> More coverage of the Wire win against Wakefield



 

With a completion rate of less than 60 percent and a consequent failure to put Wakefield under pressure with kicks, allowed the hosts to establish a 13-6 lead after forcing The Wire into a shed-load of defending.

Wakefield's huge forwards Pauli Pauli and and Tinirau Arona suddenly became double-decker juggernauts and The Wire were left hanging on.

To be fair, they hung on well but a better side than Wakefield - such as Saints - would have punished them further and probably took the damage beyond repair.

When Wire needed a lifeline, the right-flank pair of Josh Charnley and Toby King came up trumps.

They do seem to have hit it off this season, and Price used this game to put them back together and switch Ryan Atkins to the left wing instead.

With 16 seconds left on the first-half clock, Wire restarted from Ryan Hampshire's drop goal and after winning back possession Charnley set off down the right flank.

As the cover raced to him, the winger kicked ahead and while Wakefield defenders were happy to let the ball roll dead King sneaked in from behind and touched down.

Chasing that 'lost cause' and the second of Dec Patton's six conversions put a whole different reflection on the second half.

It has to be said Wire did have a touch of fortune becasue there did appear to be several knock-ons before Stefan Ratchford, playing to the whistle, kicked ahead and touched down to put Wire ahead for the first time eight minutes into the new half.

And when Patton's grubber kick deflected kindly for Jack Hughes to cross The Wire had a lead to defend.

Wakefield stuck to their guns and kept snapping at heels but Price's men had answers as Patton and Atkins wrapped up the scoring.

Highlight, though, was watching Tongan terror Ben Murdoch-Masila at his explosive best rampaging through the Wakefield defence in the first half for his second long-distance try against them this year.

On form, he is Wire's potential match-winner against Saints.

MATCH FACTS:

Super 8s Round 7, Friday, September 28, 2018

Wakefield Trinity 23 Warrington Wolves 36

Trinity: Max Jowitt; Joe Arundel, Bill Tupou, Reece Lyne, Ben Jones-Bishop; Jacob Miller, Ryan Hampshire; Pauli Pauli, Tyler Randell, Tinirau Arona, Matty Ashurst, James Batchelor, Jordan Crowther. Subs: Kyle Wood, Craig Huby, Justin Horo, Chris Annakin.

Wolves: Stefan Ratchford; Josh Charnley, Ryan Atkins, Toby King, Bryson Goodwin; Harvey Livett, Dec Patton; Chris Hill, Daryl Clark, Mike Cooper, Jack Hughes, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Ben Westwood. Subs: Joe Philbin, George King, Sitaleki Akauola, Morgan Smith.

Scoring: Randell try, 4mins, Hampshire goal, 6-0; Murdoch-Masila try, 17mins, Paton conversion, 6-6; Arundel try, 24mins, Hampshire conversion, 12-6; Hampshire drop goal, 39mins, 13-6; Toby King try, 40mins, Patton goal, 13-12; Ratchford try, 48mins, Patton goal, 13-18; Hughes try, 52mins, Patton goal, 13-24; Hampshire try, 59mins, Hampshire goal, 19-24; Patton try, 69mins, Patton goal, 19-30; Jones-Bishop try, 73mins, 23-30; Atkins try, 76mins, Patton goal, 23-36.

Penalties: Trinity 9 Wolves 6

Referee: Marcus Griffiths

Attendance: 4,140

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