Wakefield Trinity owner Matt Ellis spent Monday morning nursing a hangover and trying to come to terms with the previous 36 hours.
On Saturday evening, at a sold-out Old Trafford, the club he bought three years ago were crowned champions after beating Warrington Wolves 23-10 in the Super League Grand Final.
There was a certain romance to one of rugby league’s famous old clubs winning their first league title in 58 years and it capped an astonishing – and indeed rapid – rise under Ellis’ ambitious ownership. The 42-year-old, a larger-than-life Yorkshireman who sold his family kitchen business for £390million in June, partied with coach Daryl Powell and his players into the early hours.
‘I feel a bit rough this morning, but I’m still alive,’ Ellis, grinning from ear to ear, tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘After the game on Saturday, we got back to the hotel in Manchester and had a lovely reception with all the players and their families.
‘A couple of hours later, we headed to Katie O’Brien’s Irish bar for a proper knees-up… I got to bed about 5.30am! Then on Sunday we headed back to Wakefield for an open-top bus parade and a civic reception in the town hall which the club hadn’t had since our previous league title in 1968.
‘That was amazing and then it was back to the stadium for another big celebration. The lads were still at it at one o’clock in the morning and I messaged them to say “keep going!” because I can’t do it like they can. It was just a brilliant weekend.
Wakefield Trinity owner Matt Ellis celebrates his side’s victory in the Grand Final at the weekend at Old Trafford
It was Wakefield’s first league title in 58 years as they beat Warrington Wolves 23-10
‘Everyone in the city still talks about legends from the 1960s such as Neil Fox, Ken Rollin and Ian Brooke. What those guys achieved was in black and white but there will now be colour pictures of the current team going up on the stadium walls.
‘I had a dream when I took over that we could bring the good times back to Wakefield. And we’ve done it.’
The West Yorkshire outfit were crowned champions in successive seasons in 1967 and 1968, a halcyon period which also saw them lift the Challenge Cup three times in four years. But Wakefield have spent much of the Super League era in the doldrums and they were finally relegated in 2024.
Ellis, though, appointed Powell as head coach and he led them straight back to the top flight. Upon their return, Trinity made the play-offs last year before defying the odds and winning the title this season.
Ellis is presiding over a genuine renaissance and estimates to have spent around £8million on players and facilities. Historic Belle Vue has been Trinity’s home since 1895 – the year rugby league was formed – but the plush new East Stand is a symbol of the club’s upward mobility and Ellis is eyeing an increase to the current 9,500 capacity.
‘I want to make Wakefield one of the biggest clubs in the country and part of that is getting crowds of up to 12 to 13,000 if possible,’ says Ellis. ‘Winning Super League will hopefully see season-tickets fly out and then it’s going to be a scramble to potentially expand the stadium.’
Director of rugby, Ste Mills, shrewdly signed the likes of Jake Trueman, Mike McMeeken, Caleb Hamlin-Uele, Caius Faatili and Jack Sinfield to help lead the club to success. Next year will see cross-code legend Roger Tuivasa-Sheck arrive as the highlight of another ambitious recruitment drive.
Powell, meanwhile, has more than proved his coaching pedigree with Trinity after a tough time at Warrington in his previous job. Between them, Ellis, Powell and Mills have proved a formidable force in making Wakefield just the sixth new club to win Super League.
Wakefield head coach Daryl Powell enjoys the victory and he has more than proved his coaching pedigree after a tough time at Warrington in his previous job
Wakefield’s director of rugby, Ste Mills, shrewdly signed the likes of Jake Trueman, Mike McMeeken, Caleb Hamlin-Uele and the colourful character Caius Faatili (above)
Wakefield Trinity’s Lachlan Walmsley evades Matty Ashton during the Grand Final
Ellis has taken to celebrating victories by marching onto the pitch and fist-pumping in front of Wakefield supporters. And Powell says: ‘I know some people think he’s a bit brash when he does that, but the fans love it and buy into it.
‘Everybody has their own style and Matt’s certainly unique – he’s different to any other owner in Super League. I’m so pleased to win the title for Matt and his family after everything they have invested into the club. I think it’ll give him even more motivation for further success.’
Celebrity Trinity fan Chris Kamara, the former footballer and commentator, has taken to joining Ellis on the pitch to celebrate victories and was at Saturday’s win while the title success has reverberated far and wide, reaching Australia where England coach Brian McDermott is based as he prepares for the forthcoming World Cup.
‘I’m from Wakefield and watched the scenes from the victory parade and thought how great it looked,’ he tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘If more new teams can win Super League then it creates even more interest and we all know what that looks like.
‘You get a bit more investment and the game starts to grow. Wakefield’s success story is astonishing and great to see.’
St Helens, Wigan and Leeds have largely dominated Super League since its formation in 1996 but Hull KR smashed the cartel when being crowned champions last year. Now Wakefield are finally back on top and Ellis sees their success as a poignant, fitting tribute to legendary former coach John Kear, who died earlier this year aged 71.
Ellis hopes Wakefield will play NRL champions Sydney Roosters in the World Club Challenge early next year – potentially at Oakwell, the home of Barnsley FC, his other true love.
Wakefield fan Chris Kamara joins Ellis in celebrating yet another victory for their club
‘We’re definitely going to become a top side for years to come,’ Ellis says of his Wakefield troops
‘We’re definitely going to become a top side for years to come,’ Ellis boldly says. ‘We’re a young team and playing the Roosters in the World Club Challenge is the stuff of dreams.
‘I’m from Barnsley and I watched my first-ever Super League game at Oakwell in the 1990s, when Wakefield played there. I loved the biff and the honesty of rugby league as a working-class sport, so it’d be great to play the Roosters there because it’s much bigger than our stadium.
‘I’d like to win the Challenge Cup too and really get amongst the big boys for the next five to 10 years. The drive and ambition to shake the game up and keep achieving is huge.’
Clearly.
