24 October 2023 , 10:58
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DARYL POWELL thought someone was trying to flog him a kitchen but he’s now signed up to a whole swanky rebuild at Wakefield.
The ex-Castleford boss is the new head coach at Trinity after millionaire Matt Ellis completed his takeover of the West Yorkshire club. DIY Kitchens owner Ellis has vowed to not only return Wakefield - relegated from Super League for the first time last month - to the elite but winning major trophies, too. He’s promised a heap of new signings with ex-Great Britain winger Jermaine McGillvary set to arrive and Powell, looking to bounce back after his Warrington sacking in July, has been handed a four-year contract to mastermind it all.
But the ex-Leeds chief, who led Castleford to Super League top spot in 2017 and three major finals, admitted: “Matt sent a text a few weeks after I left Warrington. I’d never met him before. I thought someone was trying to sell me a kitchen! But from then just meeting him and hearing his enthusiasm for the club, I knew I wanted to be a part of this.
“He’s done pretty well from a business perspective. I went to his showroom and you can see how he’s got to where he is. He never did sell me a kitchen - I don’t need one! - but hearing what he wants to do with the club is exciting.”
Powell, who grew up as a fan of Trinity’s arch-rivals Castleford, added: “The guys before have done a good job getting the stadium to where it is but now Matt wants to take it to another level. He wants to change the perspective of the way people think about Wakefield Trinity, creating an elite environment from where we are at the moment.
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“No one wants to get relegated but there’s a great foundation to build on. We’ve made some signings already and we’ve a bit more to do especially with our middle forwards. But we’re on with it. We’ve two and a half weeks before pre-season training starts. I’m looking forward to it. This was the first opportunity that came up after Warrington - but I knew it was the right one.”
Wakefield Trinity's new coach Daryl Powell (WAKEFIELD TRINITY) (WTrinityRL/Twitter)Powell, now 58, could have been forgiven for packing in coaching completely after his turbulent 21 months at big-spending Wolves. But, speaking for the first time on his exit, ironically after a 42-6 hammering at bottom-placed Wakefield, he told Mirror Online: “When I first left I just needed to digest it all. It had been a pretty tough experience but it didn't take me long to think I don’t think I can leave it at that.
“There’s different reasons why it didn't work out but for me, wherever I’ve been, I feel I’ve always been part of the furniture and done a really strong job. That didn’t happen in my last job. But I’m pretty keen to make sure it happens in this. The challenge of it - of building a club up - is something I’ve done a couple of times at Featherstone and at Castleford.
"And I have experience in the Championship. It’s a fit.”