Wakefield Trinity and Leigh Leopards will clash again this Friday in a high-stakes eliminator, just days after meeting in the final round of the regular season. The two sides know each other well, having faced off when Wakefield secured a crucial 19-8 victory to lock down fourth place and home advantage for the playoff encounter.
The significance of Wakefield's finish cannot be overstated. According to Sky Sports, the club has achieved their highest Super League finish ever by reaching fourth place, marking a remarkable turnaround for a side that was only promoted back to the top flight in 2025. That promotion year saw them finish sixth, but they have climbed steadily since.
Leigh, by contrast, have been making waves since their return to the top flight in 2023, winning the Challenge Cup and reaching the Super League semi-finals regularly. Yet they finished two competition points behind Wakefield, and would have needed to win their final-round clash by 28 points or more to overtake them into fourth place.
The eliminator rematch is scheduled for Friday 18 September at 8pm, live on Sky Sports. For Wakefield, it represents their first home playoff tie since September 2009, adding extra weight to the occasion.
Ofahengaue targets Grand Final dream
For Leigh's Joe Ofahengaue, executing their game plan will be crucial to advancing further in the playoffs. The forward believes that if his side can get their approach right, they have every chance of making noise in the postseason.
It was a weird one. I thought the game shaped out to be all in Wakefield's favour. That is not directing anything at the way the game was reffed. I just think we got our game plan wrong. They executed on a few mishaps in our defence but the Gods of rugby league have looked after us and given us a second shot.
Ofahengaue spoke to Sky Sports about his ambitions for the campaign, emphasising the importance of reaching Old Trafford for the Grand Final.
I think if we get our game plan on, we can really make some noise in this play-offs. Making it to the Grand Final would mean everything. I am banking on it. I am very emotionally attached to this squad. We have some key members of this squad leaving after this year and I want to send them out on a high note. The only way we can send them out on a high is if we win it. I don't want to look too far ahead or picture myself too far ahead but it is definitely a great goal of ours to reach Old Trafford.
Powell eyes redemption and genuine contention
Wakefield head coach Daryl Powell has been instrumental in the club's rapid ascent, overseeing improvement year on year. Powell expects Leigh to raise their intensity significantly in the rematch and has warned his squad not to read too much into the regular-season result.
I would expect Leigh to step up intensity-wise. I think they will go to another level. I mentioned that to the boys, I don't think you can expect that game to dictate anything that happens this week. We have just got to reset ourselves, go again, and we feel like we can play better actually.
The Wakefield coach also highlighted the irony of facing Leigh again, given that the two sides met in a playoff game during Wakefield's 2025 campaign when they finished sixth. Powell sees this rematch as an opportunity for redemption.
We are talking about progression each year. We finished sixth and we didn't feel like we did ourselves justice in the play-off game against Leigh in 2025. It's ironic that we face them again this year and a chance for a little bit of redemption. Being a genuine top four team is about getting to those semi-finals and giving yourself a chance to get to the Grand Final. It would be an awesome thing for the club. If we can do that, we will be pretty excited.
Wakefield's win in the final round was built on strong attacking play. According to the BBC, Tom Johnstone scored twice and Jake Trueman added a drop goal, with Wakefield leading 13-0 at half-time before securing the 19-8 victory.
On the injury front, Wakefield star Caleb Hamlin-Uele has declared himself fit for the eliminator despite a knee issue, providing a boost to Powell's squad ahead of the crucial encounter.
The road ahead
The winner of Friday's clash will advance to face either Wigan Warriors or Leeds Rhinos in the semi-finals. The Super League play-offs begin on Friday 18 September, with the second eliminator taking place on Saturday 19 September when Warrington Wolves host Hull KR at 5:30pm, also live on Sky Sports.
The semi-finals are scheduled for 25 and 26 September, with the Grand Final taking place at Old Trafford on 3 October. Both Wakefield and Leigh will be desperate to make their mark on the biggest stage, with the Trinity seeking to cap their remarkable season with a first Grand Final appearance and the Leopards aiming to add another trophy to their recent silverware.
