Rourke knee blow leaves Wakefield without their full-back for run-in

Wakefield Trinity full-back Josh Rourke will miss at least four weeks with a knee injury, ruling him out of the remainder of the Super League regular season and potentially the club's first play-off match. Head coach Daryl Powell confirmed the 26-year-old's absence after scans revealed the extent of damage sustained in Saturday's 46-16 defeat at St Helens. BBC Sport

Rourke is currently in a brace and will see a specialist to determine a more precise recovery timescale. For now, Powell can plan only around his absence.

The injury leaves a hole at the back just as Wakefield's campaign reaches its sharpest point. Trinity travel to the Brick Community Stadium on Friday to face Wigan Warriors, the side that has set the pace in Super League this season. Going there without your starting full-back — the player who marshals the backfield under kicks and launches counter-attacks — is a significant test of squad depth.

There is better news elsewhere in the treatment room. Winger Tom Johnstone, sidelined with his own knee problem, should return against York Knights next Saturday. Prop Isaiah Vagana's shoulder, scanned after a recent knock, has not been badly damaged — a relief for a forward pack that needs every available body. Half-back Mason Lino, out for 10 weeks, could also return before the regular season ends, giving Powell a playmaking option (the half-back is the chief decision-maker in attack, directing where the ball goes on each play).

For fans, the picture is mixed but not grim. Rourke's absence is the clear blow, and the specialist's verdict will shape whether he features in the play-offs at all. But the likely returns of Johnstone and Lino, plus Vagana's clean scan, mean Powell could have a stronger hand for the knockout stages than the one he holds this weekend at Wigan.

Wakefield have also been active in the transfer market this month, bringing in Guler and Lipowcz on deals announced on August 19 and August 18 respectively, while Nikotemo departed the club on August 14. Wakefield Trinity Those moves suggest Powell is reshaping his squad for exactly this kind of stretch-run scenario — depth tested, bodies needed, points to play for.