YORK’S Oli Pratt was among the scorers as Wakefield Trinity completed a 2024 treble after thrashing Toulouse Olympique in the Betfred Championship Grand Final on Saturday night.

The former Heworth youngster scored Trinity’s fifth try in their emphatic 36-0 victory at the DIY Kitchens Stadium in front of a near sell-out crowd of over 8,000 supporters.

Having been made to work hard to overcome York Knights in their semi-final six days prior, the Grand Final scoreline only served to highlight just what a performance Mark Applegarth’s side had produced that day.

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Unbeaten on their home turf over the course of the season, Wakefield are expected to seal their return to the Betfred Super League at the first time of asking when IMG’s gradings are released on Wednesday morning.

Not just winning both the League Leaders’ Shield and AB Sundecks 1895 Cup with relative ease, they have assembled a squad more than capable of competing in the sport’s top-flight, built a new stand, and invested a rumoured £750,000 in the purchase of a new LED screen and pitchside advertising.

Such a convincing win was a fitting way for captain Matty Ashurst, Luke Gale and Jermaine McGillvary to call time on their playing careers, whilst full-back Max Jowitt made history by becoming the first player to score over 500 points across a season.

Pratt scored six tries in 11 appearances for the Knights in 2023.Pratt scored six tries in 11 appearances for the Knights in 2023. Picture: Craig Hawkhead PhotographyToulouse were the only team to beat Trinity across the regular campaign and things had started relatively evenly between the sides as they sounded each other out under the floodlights.

The hosts lost hooker Liam Hood to a head injury in just the eighth minute after a collision with Olly Ashall-Bott but a costly error by the French side on their 20-metre line paved the way for them to open the scoring just after the quarter-hour.

Gale threw a sublime pass to Jowitt, who fed Derell Olpherts to break the deadlock into the left corner.

Jowitt then put it on a plate for skipper Ashurst to find the whitewash 10 minutes later, the full-back’s successful conversion seeing him break the all-time points in a season record with 498.

Trinity only powered on from there, scoring twice in the seven minutes before the break to all but confirm victory by the half time hooter.

After a penalty for offside propelled Wakefield upfield, McGillvary signed off with a try after surging into the right corner from Isaiah Vagana’s short pass.

Jowitt’s conversion took him to an unprecedented 500 points, but he could not add to that from his next touchline attempt four minutes later.

Tommy Doyle’s bursting run brought Trinity inside the 10-metre line, with Mason Lino then feeding experienced centre Iain Thornley to touch down.

A 22-0 lead by the interval was already a commanding one, but it took 18 second-half minutes for Wakefield to extend their advantage.

Toulouse’s ill-discipline again came back to haunt them as Trinity spread play from one wing to the other, Doyle sending former York Knights loanee Pratt across into the left corner.

Jowitt was the next to leave the field for a head injury assessment with 10 minutes remaining, again after a tackle from Ashall-Bott.

But that did not deter the champions, with Gale sending a pinpoint kick towards Olpherts to add a sixth try less than a minute later.

Gale, taking over kicking duties, could not convert, but McGillvary unbelievably had better luck from Trinity’s final attempt with four minutes left to play.

The winger collected a stunning cut-out pass before diving across into the right corner, and, wasting no time in setting up the tee, incredibly bisected the posts from the touchline as his memorable career ended on a high.