Wakefield Trinity have closed the door on speculation that captain Jacob Miller could be set to move to Wigan Warriors in 2022.
Miller is a reported target of the Warriors as they look to strengthen their squad ahead of the departures of key players such as Jackson Hastings at the end of this season. The 29-year-old has one year left on his existing contract with Trinity, meaning any move would be subject to a significant transfer fee.
But after Willie Poching's appointment as the club's permanent head coach on Wednesday, Wakefield chief executive Michael Carter appeared to shoot down any talk of letting their captain and star player leave the club ahead of a new era beginning under Poching in 2022.
"Jacob Miller is contracted to Wakefield for 2022," Carter insisted. "I can't comment on that (Wigan's interest), but we've never made a comment and Jacob is the captain of this club and he has been excelling under Willie. He was outstanding on Friday (against Hull FC) and played in a dinner jacket - why would I want to lose Jacob Miller?"
Miller has been a key part of Trinity's plans for a number of years. He joined as a 23-year-old in 2015 from Hull FC, and has gone on to make almost 200 appearances for the club in all competition.
He was appointed captain at the end of the 2018 season, taking over from Danny Kirmond, and has retained the role ever since. Miller is believed to be settled at Wakefield and has no interest in walking away from the final year of his deal with the club.
But the Warriors may now have to look elsewhere if they are still interested in a new half-back to replace Hastings ahead of his return to the NRL at the end of this season.
