Back to beat 'em

Max Jowitt is Wakefield through and through.

Not only was he born and bred in the ‘best little city on earth’, but he spent his entire childhood watching his hometown club Wakefield Trinity home and away.

This was before becoming a mainstay and evolving into one of the side's standout players, with a loyal Jowitt amassing over 150 appearances for the Trin.

And with Rivals Round approaching this Easter Weekend, Jowitt knows exactly what the occasion means – as his side prepare to welcome Castleford Tigers to Belle Vue on Thursday night.

Astoundingly, Wakefield are seeking their first Super League home win against their nearest and dearest since 2013, when a last-minute Ali Lauiti'iti offload sent Liam Kay racing down the wing to seal the win for Trinity.

And Jowitt, who debuted for the club in 2014, has his own personal record he is desperately hoping to change in 2025 – as he has never, ever beaten Castleford Tigers competitively in his career.

Ironically, in the majority of this time period, the Tigers were guided under the experienced Daryl Powell, who now steers the ship at Wakefield and hopes to reiterate similar success.

Trinity did manage to pick up two aways win in 2015 and 2022 down at the Jungle, however - although Jowitt was either not selected or injured for both of these matches.

But determined to rewrite history once and for all, Jowitt returns from his recent injury, and if selected, is just in time to face his arch nemesis’ in this year’s Rivals Round.

“It’s been frustrating just sitting and watching – I’ve found it hard watching and not being able to play and influence a game,” said Jowitt, who has missed the last three Super League matches.

“I’ve not really had many injuries in my career, so it’s been hard, especially when we’ve been doing so well.

“I’ve turned into a bit of a coach on the sidelines a bit. You just want to be out there playing. When things are going right you want to be involved in it, but also when things are going wrong as well – you just want to try and help the team in any way you can.

“Sadly, injuries are just a part of playing rugby. But I’ve cracked on with my rehab and done everything I can to get back fit.”

It’s certainly an unwanted stat – where Jowitt has featured in and lost a total of ten derbies with the Tigers – and it’s something that’s never far away from his thoughts:

“Tom Johnstone and I talk about it all the time. I think it’s been eleven years now and I’ve personally never beaten Cas in a competitive game!

“It does my head in! So, this Thursday night, no matter what, we have to win this game!”

“At least we have home advantage this week too – as going to Castleford away used to be one of my worst places to go!”

“I was also injured for the only time we did beat them in 2022! It was annoying from a personal perspective, but I was happy that as a team we got one over on them at their place.”

Fast forward to 2025, and Jowitt is optimistic for Thursday night and can relate wholeheartedly to the fans with the passion and emotions that are involved in a Rivals Round fixture:

“Being a Wakey lad, I know how competitive the rivalry is, and I think they’ve got one over on us far too many times! And I think with the position that we’re in at the minute, we’re in a really good spot to do the job on them this Thursday.

“I know a lot of Wakey fans who will be itching to beat them too and we’d love to be able to send them home happy!”

If you were to cut Jowitt open, he may just bleed Red, White & Blue. He’s been following the Trin all his life – and was present at Wakefield and Castleford’s famous 2006 ‘winner takes all’ clash – and even made a Sky Sports appearance repping the Trinity colours!

Nobody knows what it means like Max Jowitt!

Who’s that idiot dancing 55 seconds in..?? https://t.co/orSrohbP8n

— Max Jowitt (@MaxJow) August 18, 2023

“I used to get my face painted at every home game. I used to watch Wakefield home and away and I had a season ticket most years,” said Jowitt.

“I’ve not seen us beat Cas that many times, but I definitely remember the atmosphere of each and every game.

“I’ve not beaten them myself either, but it’s not just about me personally – I want to do it for the team and for the good start we’re having to the 2025 season.”

It truly means more in Rivals Round, and Wakefield will be hoping to right their wrongs from their defeat at St Helens last Friday, as Jowitt said:

“There is always that extra motivation in Rivals Round, but we’re not going to do anything too different to prepare. We’re going to prepare how we would for any other game, and we’ve probably got that little bit of added motivation for how we played in the Saints game too.

“We reviewed that game yesterday and we know that that’s not to the standards we have set. We’ve got some wrongs to put right and I think we’ll do that this Thursday.”

For Trinity, bragging rights aren't the only thing that's at a stake, with the side still searching for their first Super League home win of 2025.

They have come excruciatingly close on numerous occasions, but have been unable to capitalise, and Jowitt knows that there would be no better way than to claim their first home win in front of another bumper crowd and against their local rivals:

“It’s really important. It’s been frustrating for us and the fans because over the years we’ve picked up most of our wins at home.

“Weirdly it’s changed around this year for whatever reason. We just seem to be killing ourselves at home and not giving ourselves a chance in the home games.

“But this Thursday coming it’s time to flip that around and finally get the home run going.”

Excluding their friendly game against Thursday's opponents in pre-season, Jowitt remembers the last time the Tigers came to town, when both sides were embroiled in a relegation battle at the foot of the table.

Their 2023 game ended in a devastating defeat for Trinity, but it's fair to say that the hosts have come a long way since that fateful night.

“I think it was too much pressure on that game for us and we didn’t handle it very well. They came and had a plan. With the situation that both clubs were in at the time, it was an extremely tough loss to take.

“With relegation looming that just made it worse. Losing at our own place as well – Castleford brought a good following that day and hopefully they will again this week to be fair."

With Wakefield and Castleford set to reignite their rivalry for the first time since 2023, Jowitt is under no illusion of how much a tough task the Tigers will be, despite Trinity entering this match as favourites:

“They are struggling a little bit at the minute but it’s that local derby and I think they’ll definitely be up for it and they’ll come out firing.

“Danny McGuire will probably have a certain game plan in mind for them. It’s Rivals Round – it means more and there’s more motivation. But we need to make sure we match that and we know what’s coming.

“We need to be on our best game and look after the ball. We’re not completing very well at the minute and that’s a very big part of the game. We need to improve on that and then if we can control the ball and control the game, I think we’ve got too much quality."

Wakefield’s upward trajectory has already been well documented, and Jowitt, who has quite literally seen all the highs and lows at the club over the last decade, is over the moon with the direction in which the club is heading:

“We come into training with a smile on our faces every day. The new facilities and new signings – it’s all been unbelievable and it’s a place you want to come in to and work hard.

“You’ve got lads now that have finished training and are taking their time to go home. We all hang around in the team room after, whether's that's having a coffee or playing pool. And I think that’s the reason why we’re playing well as a team at the minute, we’ve got a great team bond.

“We’ve always had that but this year just feels different. What Matt Ellis has done and what Powelly [Daryl Powell] has done – it’s top class.

“You’ll have lads come to play here from other teams who used to play at Wakefield and they can’t believe how different the place is. It’s only improving as well!”

Will Rivals Round end in derby day delight for the Trin? Or will Cas continue to claim the spoils?

Are you ready for Rivals Round?

Rivals Round (Round 8) will kick off on Thursday night as Wakefield Trinity and Castleford Tigers renew their rivalry at the DIY Kitchens Stadium, live on Sky Sports and SuperLeague+.

All six games across Rivals Round will be broadcasted LIVE and information regarding dates, venues and kick-off times can be found here.

There's still time to sign up to SuperLeague+ if you haven't already, with match passes, monthly passes and annual passes all available.