“It’s something I’ve dreamed about for years and it used to be a bit of a pipe dream,” said Tom Johnstone, when asked about the prospect of Wakefield Trinity winning a Super League Grand Final.
That dream could become a reality for the England winger on 3 October, after Wakefield shocked treble-chasing Wigan Warriors 33-6 in Saturday’s play-off semi-final to secure their place in the Old Trafford showpiece for the first time.
Wakefield, who will play Warrington Wolves in the title decider, have been a club transformed in recent seasons.
So often competing at the wrong end of the Super League table, they lost their top-flight status in 2023 – but that proved to be the beginning of the club’s reinvigoration, sparked by the completion of a takeover by kitchen magnate Matt Ellis.
His financial support, along with the leadership and experience of head coach Daryl Powell, have led Wakefield up from the Championship and now to within 80 minutes of becoming Super League champions.
Johnstone, 31, began his career with Wakefield and was back for Trinity’s return to the top division at the start of 2025 after a two-year spell with Catalans Dragons.
“I went to Matt’s kitchen factory with my agent and we had a chat about everything they want to achieve and everything they promised to do,” Johnstone, who scored two of Wakefield’s five tries against Wigan, told BBC Two.
“We left and said: ‘If they do any of that, it’s going to be something special.’ I couldn’t say no.”
