York Knights in 22-13 Play-off Semi-Final defeat at Wakefield Trinity

Given the Knights’ dismal start to the campaign, it was an achievement in itself to even make the play-offs, and they could certainly not be faulted for their efforts, with the League Leaders’ Shield winners made to work hard for victory.

Mark Applegarth admitted that his side were “massive underdogs” against a Trinity side unbeaten at the DIY Kitchens Stadium this season, but there was a palpable change in atmosphere when Liam Harris’ drop-goal gave the visitors a shock 7-6 lead at the interval.

Max Jowitt had earlier opened the scoring on nine minutes, only for Oli Field to level the scores from York’s first attack of note just before the quarter-hour.

But Wakefield crucially struck back through Luke Gale eight minutes after the break, and though Ata Hingano’s effort 10 minutes later had put the Knights back in front, fine margins ultimately put a coveted Grand Final spot out of reach.

If Will Dagger had forced his way just inches further forward with a left-edge drive the Knights would have been two tries in front with just over 15 minutes left to play, and it was an unfortunate Joe Brown slip that saw Derell Olpherts give Trinity the lead before Iain Thornley wrapped up victory late on.

Nonetheless, it was a performance that firmly displayed the confidence, freedom, and team spirit that has become characteristic of York under Applegarth during the second half of the season, and one that offers plenty of optimism for 2025.

MATCH RECAP: Wakefield Trinity 22-13 York Knights - Play-Off Semi-Final

The Knights showed three changes from last weekend’s Play-off Eliminator victory against Widnes, notably welcoming full-back Dagger back from a calf injury for his first match since mid-August.

That saw Nikau Williams move back into the centres in place of Wakefield loanee Joe Law, whilst Will Jubb was preferred to Sam Cook at hooker and Jack Martin took the place of Jack Teanby among the interchanges.

Wakefield full-back Jowitt came within a whisker of setting a new record in excess of 500 points across a season, one he is sure to break against Toulouse next week.

The hosts raced out of the blocks and looked to have taken the lead with just two minutes on the clock through Thornley, but an outstanding tackle from Williams saw the ball slip from his grasp just metres from the line.

York then lost prop Ukuma Ta’ai to a knee injury, and things looked to have gone from bad to worse when Tom Lineham was forced down in-goal to concede the game’s first drop-out.

Wakefield lost possession from a loose pass to Mason Lino but made no mistake from their next opportunity in the ninth minute.

Jermaine McGillvary escaped attempted tackles of Lineham and Williams as he raced down the right wing before releasing the supporting Jowitt to score behind the posts, setting up a simple conversion to put his side six points in front.

That could have opened the floodgates for the Knights, but they responded in the best possible fashion.

Hingano skipped through a gap before releasing the supporting Williams, who was brought down on the 20-metre line. That though laid the platform, with Field collecting a sublime cut-out pass before ghosting across into the right corner.

Dagger’s near touchline conversion levelled the scores with a quarter of an hour played.

Oli Field levelled the scores after ghosting his way through into the right corner. (Image: Craig Hawkhead Photography) Momentum though remained with Wakefield, who won another goal-line drop-out after Joe Brown was pushed back across by an outstanding kick-chase.

And it was only due to an almighty scramble that Jowitt was prevented from doubling his, and his side’s tally, after a bursting run towards the left corner.

Trinity though were at times rattled by just how much pressure the Knights had put them under.

Josh Griffin knocked-on from a pass that would have given him a free run at the tryline before Williams twice caught Jowitt high within 20 metres of the line, the near 6,000 strong crowd leading chants for him to be sent from the field by referee Aaron Moore.

Thankfully for the Knights, they only conceded a scrum and Jowitt’s intended cut-out pass for Olpherts flew past the winger and into touch.

Wakefield then lost Griffin on the stroke of half time before Harris added insult to injury with a drop-goal inside the half’s dying seconds to hand York the narrowest of half-time advantages.

Knowing that scoring the next try would be crucial, the visitors came out well after the break and were gifted a golden opportunity from a sloppy Trinity pass on the 30-metre line.

However, despite Connor Bailey collecting Harris’ cut-out pass, he could not release Brown to score into the corner, the ball instead flying into touch 10 metres from the whitewash.

The hosts looked to immediately score at the other end of the field, but Olpherts could not take in Jowitt’s pass, instead handing the Knights a pressure-relieving scrum.

But Wakefield did fire themselves back in front in the 48th minute, captain Matty Ashurst breaking through the defensive line before playing in the supporting Gale to extend his try-scoring form against the Knights into a fourth successive match.

Jowitt made no mistake from in front of the posts to swing the pendulum back in his side’s favour.

A tense atmosphere soon became one of excitement, with many expecting Trinity to push on, but to the Knights’ credit, they did anything but.

The boots of Harris and Hingano won the visitors consecutive goal-line drop-outs, and only a Martin knock-on across the line spared Trinity from again being pegged back.

York’s pressure though soon told, Man of the Match Jordan Thompson breaking through the home defence before releasing the supporting Hingano, who raced 25 metres to score just to the left of the posts. Dagger’s conversion put them a point back in front.

Ata Hingano put the Knights back in front midway through the second half. (Image: Craig Hawkhead Photography) Olpherts’ incorrect play-the-ball then offered up another chance for the Knights, who won a third drop-out for their troubles, but Dagger could not quite force his way across into the left corner.

Instead, in a cruel twist of fate, Wakefield again put themselves ahead, and with Brown slipping as he went to field Lino’s kick, Olpherts was given a free run into the left corner.

Josh Daley, playing his last game for the Knights ahead of his move back to Australia, then looked to race onto his own chip forward, but Olpherts recovered well to prevent the drop-out.

A Lineham knock-on though allowed Wakefield to put the result out of reach with six minutes left to play.

Thornley won the race to Liam Hood’s speculative grubber to score into the right corner, Jowitt’s conversion then handing his side an unassailable nine-point lead.

York did have their chances in a late flurry, not least after Dagger’s short kick off was collected by Williams, but they found their final pass lacking as time ultimately ran out on their season.

WAKEFIELD TRINITY: Jowitt, McGillvary, Thornley, Pratt, Olpherts, Gale, Lino, Bowden, Hood, Rodwell, Ashurst, Griffin, Pitts.

INTERCHANGES: Atoni, Uele, Vagana, Doyle.

TRIES: Jowitt (9), Gale (48), Olpherts (65), Thornley (74)

GOALS: Jowitt 3/4

YORK KNIGHTS: Dagger, Brown, Field, Williams, Lineham, Hingano, Harris, Thompson, Jubb, Ta’ai, Dee, Bailey, Cunningham.

INTERCHANGES: Santi, Daley, Michael, Martin.

TRIES: Field (14), Hingano (58)

GOALS: Dagger 2/2

DROP-GOAL: Harris (39)

POINTS SEQUENCE: 4-0, 6-0, 6-4, 6-6, 6-7, 10-7, 12-7, 12-11, 12-13, 16-13, 20-13, 22-13

HALF TIME: 6-7

YORK’S STAR MAN: Jordan Thompson. A typical workman-like performance from the forward, but in truth anyone from the Knights’ 17 could have been picked.

ATTENDANCE: 5,946

REFEREE: Aaron Moore