Wakefield's Mike McMeeken on Trinity deal, IMG, Super League and England heartache

celebrated and fired: “We won’t just be making the numbers up.”

The Championship Grand Final winners were ranked eighth in the first IMG-inspired official club gradings yesterday. They were one of nine clubs to gain a Grade A - which secures a top-flight place for 2025 - and joined Castleford and Leigh in being promoted from illustrative Grade Bs 12 months ago. With the help of millionaire new owner Matt Ellis, Trinity have made vast improvements on and off the field since being relegated for the first time last year.

England prop McMeeken is one of boss Daryl Powell’s stellar signings for next term along with Test team-mate Tom Johnstone, both arriving from big-hitting Catalans. But he made the so did he ever fear Wakefield would fall short and he’d end up playing in the Championship?

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McMeeken, 30, admitted: “People were coming up and asking me that question. It didn’t really cross my mind. I’d have crossed that bridge if it’d come to it. But I was always pretty confident Wakey would be up in Super League. That was one of the big discussions when I first signed: how would we look in terms of the IMG grading?

“But Matt [Ellis] and Powelly were always very confident in how the system was and how we’re building to be something very special. It’s unrecognisable to what Wakefield was. It’s great to now see it confirmed. But also they did it the right way by winning the Championship so there can’t really be any complaints.”

A three-times beaten Grand Finalist with Catalans [twice] and Castleford [under Powell in 2017], he reckons Wakefield - perennial strugglers in Super League - can immediately challenge for honours and help end his duck. McMeeken, also hoping to feature for England against Samoa on Sunday, said: “I don’t see why not. That’s where we’re aiming for. Matt alluded to it and so has Powelly.

“We don’t just want to be in Super League to make up the numbers. We want to compete. The signings we’ve brought in are of that mindset. We don't want to be just happy with being around the play-offs and getting by. We want to be competing at the top. We’ve seen the examples of Leigh and Hull KR and how well they've done in recent years; it’s something we can look to aspire to.”

He and Johnstone, the prolific winger who returns to treble-winning Wakefield after two seasons in France, both visited Belle Vue for Saturday’s Grand Final rout of Toulouse. McMeeken said: “I was always told the new facilities were very good but initially went to have a look around in early August. Anyone who’s played there knows the old changing rooms were pretty run-down especially the away ones.

“But now they’re all changed and we’ve got recovery rooms for days off, saunas, ice baths, jacuzzis… It gives a really good professional environment and there’s full-time chefs. It was good to see it with Tom [Johnstone] as well because he’s seen it beforehand and now. We did go down on Saturday. The atmosphere was really good. Toulouse, like Catalans, don’t have many away fans so to fill out the stadium mainly with home fans and an attendance of 8,000 was awesome.”

Ex-Castleford star McMeeken has moved back to the UK after his four-year stint in Perpignan, not only to take up his four-year Trinity deal but to represent his country again. He is potentially one of 11 survivors from the England squad who painfully lost that dramatic golden-point World Cup semi-final to Samoa at Arsenal two years ago. The two nations meet again for the first time since at Wigan on Sunday.

Does that last affair still haunt him? McMeeken pondered and replied: “It’s something we’ll probably discuss in the next few days leading up to the first game. It’s a different looking team now but it’s the last time we played them and it wasn’t a great situation to be in. We didn’t want to end on those terms. We thought we could do something special that year and go on and win the final. But we didn't perform in the semis. It’s certainly our time for revenge and to make amends for that performance.”

McMeeken made his England debut against Samoa in back in 2017 and has lost none of his love for representing his country. Ahead of potentially his tenth cap, he said: “I always love playing for England. These are the games you look forward to especially after it was a bit of a disappointing end with Catalans, missing the play-offs. I’m always honoured to pull on an England shirt. Hopefully I can do it again on Sunday.”

There is plenty of competition up front with Tom Burgess, Luke Thompson and Chris Hill all fellow survivors from that last battle against Samoa while St Helens Dream Team prop Matty Lees and Wigan Grand Final winner Ethan Havard are also pushing for places. But McMeeken, who featured in all three wins against Tonga last year, has always served England boss Shaun Wane well. Meanwhile, he was glad to see former club Castleford also earn a Grade A ranking after plenty of their own struggles.

Basingstoke-born McMeeken added: “It just shows for me what positivity IMG are bringing. You see teams that are improving their facilities and standards. Look at the gradings this time last year and how clubs have improved inside just 11 months. It shows what improvement can be made and what a special Super League we can create.”