Wakefield 14 Huddersfield 44: Grix goes close to breaking Thorman try record

Just eight minutes 51 seconds had passed at Belle Vue when the full-back, one of five former Wakefield Trinity players in Huddersfield’s side, touched down for the third time yesterday.

The swift treble put the visitors 18-0 up, Danny Brough converting each try, yet his side were made to sweat before pushing on to record a comfortable victory.

Asked if it ever dawned on him that the record was up for grabs, Grix revealed: “It did because we’ve got Chris with us – and he holds the quickest time.

“I think he was panicking after two that I might beat him but he gave me the nod after that third one.

“It felt like I didn’t touch the ball, though, for about another half hour from the ninth minute and that was the most frustrating thing.

“We were a bit patchy again and I can’t put my finger on why that’s happening this season but we got the two points and move on to Warrington next Friday.

“Records don’t really bother me but it will be nice to look back on this later down the line if no one manages to get under that time.

“I’d not actually scored a hat-trick since getting one with Wakefield against Cas’ at Millennium Stadium back in 2008.”

Thorman does still hold the record overall for the fastest hat-trick scored from the start of a match with a time of six minutes 54 seconds but that was in the National League Cup at Doncaster in 2002, coincidentally while in Huddersfield colours, too.

Grix’s trio started after just 63 seconds as he benefitted from a fine Brett Ferres offload but Trinity’s defence was woeful when Jamie Ellis eased through to set up his second, the third coming after picking up opponent Craig Hall’s high kick and racing 70m.

Injury-hit Wakefield initially recovered from his rapid blast to quickly get a foothold in the game themselves with tries from Dean Collis and Danny Kirmond to trail 18-8 after 23 minutes.

Teenager Jordan Crowther scored early in the second half – his first try in senior football – for Hall’s solitary conversion to get them in touching distance.

However, James Webster’s erratic side then badly lost their way again and have now, after four successive defeats, fallen to bottom.

The unfortunate Richard Owen, who the head coach said should not really have played due to injury, had a calamitous second period making three errors that each time led directly to Huddersfield tries.

When still just four points behind, the winger, having been put clear by Collis, tried passing back inside to the centre but only found Brough.

Later in that set, it was Brough – who had a running battle with opposing captain Danny Kirmond all afternoon – that found Ferres with a cut-out pass for the former Wakefield second-row to mark his 250th career game with a 54th-minute try.

Huddersfield, who lost winger Jermaine McGillvary to a first-half shoulder injury, never looked back.

Brough went in himself after Owen dropped a kick and Ukuma Ta’ai also benefitted when the ex-Castleford wideman spilled another ball in the final seconds.

In between, England centre Leroy Cudjoe had raced in untouched, too, as yet more Wakefield possession sloppily went to ground, Brough finishing with six goals to go past 500 for the club, and Ellis adding another two.

All of which means they are up to fourth despite the scratchy nature of their display which has been a common theme in 2015.

Webster said he has four or five players playing with pain-killing injections each week “just out of necessity” but did not use that as an excuse.

“We shot ourselves in the foot,” he said.

“You can’t win games when you complete at 45 per cent in the second half.

“It has been our Achilles heel all year and we continue to do it. Until we stop it we won’t win any games.

“We didn’t start well enough. I am not being disrespectful to Huddersfield but they put 40 points on us and they weren’t at their best, that’s the disappointing thing. There’s only one way to turn it around and that’s by working hard.

“We’ve a short-turnaround before we go to Wigan on Friday night. There’s no easy fixtures, the league doesn’t allow you to hide.”

There was a minute’s applause in the 63rd minute of yesterday’s game in memory of Leon Walker, the teenage Wakefield player who died during an academy match in Wales six years ago.

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats: Hall; Owen, Collis, Arundel, Riley; Miller, T Smith; Scruton, Washbrook, Griffin, Lauitiiti, Kirmond, Ryan. Substitutes: McShane, Simon, D Smith. Crowther.

Huddersfield Giants: Grix; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Arundel, Murphy; Brough, Ellis; Huby, Robinson, Kopczak, Ta’ai, Ferres, Lawrence. Substitutes: Wood, Crabtree, Johnson, Hughes.

Referee: J Cobb (Manchester).