Wakefield Trinity ready to turn 'black and white into colour', declares Daryl Powell

Matt Ellis gave Powell an ambitious brief when he took over and his side are on the brink of delivering on it ahead of Saturday's semi-final against Wigan Warriors.

Wakefield's rich past is inescapable at Belle Vue, a ground that captures both the old and new spirit of the club.

Now Powell wants his players to add a modern twist to the photographs that line the walls of the stadium.

"When I first came, Matt said, 'I'd like you to turn black and white into colour'," recalled Powell.

"I thought it was a good way to put it – and I think the boys are close to doing that.

"Everybody talks about the '60s. That was a long time ago. The history of the club is massively important but for the players, it's about creating their own history.

"Foxy (Neil Fox) still comes here. I walk by him every game. What a champion player and man.

"They have a bacon sandwich on a Monday so I sat down with some of the past players in the cafe the other day. They're just buzzing. They love to see what's happening at the club at the moment.

"Those sort of connections are really important. You get a sense from them that they can feel and see how good this team is as well, which is always great to see."

In the Championship only two seasons ago, there has been a suggestion that a Grand Final appearance may have come too soon for Trinity.

But after marking their return to Super League with back-to-back play-off campaigns, Powell insists his side are where they are on merit.

"We're here, aren't we?" he replied when that notion was put to him. "So you wouldn't be talking to us if we weren't at a place where we think we can go on with it.

"Look, it's a big challenge. We recognise that the semi-finals are the big games and we feel like we're in a good position to be in those semi-finals.

"The players have been immense. I think our recruitment has been immense. We're growing that every year so we're getting to a point where we're in the shooting match.

"It just takes massive performances from the boys to get us into a Grand Final – but I feel like we're ready for it.

"We've been tuned in pretty much for the last six weeks so I think it puts us in a great position."

Wakefield emerged from a testing run-in with a highest-ever finish of fourth before reaching the semi-finals for the first time with a landmark win over Leigh Leopards.

After Hull KR won the Grand Final to break through the glass ceiling and show what is possible for clubs outside Super League's traditional elite, Powell can see the same foundations being laid at Belle Vue.

"It's possible, isn't it?" he said.

"You get exactly what you need from an environment perspective, get your recruitment right and grow what you need within that environment, then players start to believe that you can do special things. I feel like we're getting close to that.

"We've got an opportunity right in front of us. We're going to need to be outstanding to take that opportunity but I do feel the club's in a great place."

Powell guided Castleford Tigers to the League Leaders' Shield and Grand Final in 2017 but the biggest prize has so far eluded him.

A semi-final win this weekend would complete a remarkable journey from the Championship to Old Trafford in the space of two years and rank among the most significant achievements of Powell's career.

"It'd be up there because it's a pretty difficult thing to do," he said. "I'm not sure it's been done before.

"To progress as quickly as we have and beat Wigan in the semi-final and get to a Grand Final would be a pretty special achievement.

"For me it's been elusive, winning a competition as a coach. I know for quite a lot of our players it's the same. You're talking about a career-defining moment for a lot of people. It certainly would be for me."