Matt Ellis's five-year plan delivers Super League title in just two seasons

Wakefield Trinity defeated Warrington Wolves 23-10 at Old Trafford on 3 October 2026 to claim the Betfred Super League title, ending a 58-year wait for a top-flight championship. The club had last won the league in 1968 and had never before reached a Super League Grand Final.

Tries came from Cameron Scott, Isaiah Vagana, Jazz Tevaga and Tom Johnstone. Johnstone received the Rob Burrow Award as player of the match. The official attendance was 71,728, the highest for a Grand Final since 2015.

The victory completes a rapid turnaround. Wakefield were relegated in 2023 and spent 2024 in the Championship. Owner Matt Ellis bought the club after relegation and set a public target of winning the Grand Final within five years. Under head coach Daryl Powell, the team won the second-tier title in 2024 and entered the 2026 play-offs as the fourth seed.

Hooker Tyson Smoothy added a rare individual achievement. He won the 2025 NRL Grand Final with Brisbane Broncos and now becomes only the second player to win NRL and Super League titles in back-to-back years, after Ben Harris in 2004-05. The feat highlights the growing interchange of players between the two competitions.

Wakefield are only the sixth different club to win the Super League. The result demonstrates how quickly a club can move from the second tier to the top with sustained investment and coaching continuity. It also raises immediate questions about squad retention. Winger Lachlan Walmsley, who provided an assist in the final, is without a contract for 2027.