Wolves head coach Paul Cullen has highlighted the need to spread the workload more among his players next year.

All of the injuries, aches, pains, bumps and bruises carried by a main thrust of men throughout Engage Super League X finally told in the last 11 minutes of the play-off defeat to Hull a fortnight ago.

With all hopes of victory gone and the season nearing its close, the team effort collapsed and the highest defeat of the campaign was recorded.

Had some of the players who figured against Hull been given more time off the field during the previous 2,320 minutes of action, then the team may have had more to offer at the business end of the campaign.

But to be able to consider the route of sparing senior and key players, the squad has to have the strength in depth plus fortune with injuries.

Cullen had started the year with 26 players in his squad but Simon Grix (injury) Daryl Cardiss (injury/form), Nicky Royle (studies) and Phil Berry (released) made no appearances in the first team, while Graham Appo (injury/form) and Warren Stevens (form) made lesser contributions than in previous years. Two supporting Academy stars with big futures, Andy Bracek and Steve Pickersgill, made 14 substitute appearances between them.

Wolves are factoring into their plans the potential of 42 games for their squad men next year. That figure is made up of five pre-season trial games, 28 Engage Super League rounds, up to four games in the play-offs and up to five games in the Powergen Challenge Cup. Cullen said: "The men who were struggling in the last 11 minutes against Hull in the play-offs were the men who had physically and mentally carried this club over a very difficult and intense 12 months.

"This year we have had minimal contributions from those players with jerseys numbered 18 to 20 (Appo, Cardiss, Stevens), plus 21 to 24 (Grix, Pickersgill, Bracek, Berry).

"Nineteen men have carried the team all the way through and as we build for next year, we have work to do to get a far better effort from every player we have on our books.

"What we need to get is far more out of the senior 20-man squad and a bigger contribution from players in jerseys numbered 21 to 25.

"I believe we are loading the team from above in the signings of Paul Rauhihi, Stuart Reardon, Richie Barnett and Michael Sullivan.

"So that is going to force some of this year's 1 to 17 into the 18 to 20 positions, and it's getting the best of that 20 for next year which is going to literally be the deciding factor of whether we have a positive season or not.

"Part of our planning process is working out how we're going to get our senior squad of 20 players, plus five support players, through a possible maximum of 42 games.

"We don't plan to play any one of our players in all 42. We need to spread the burden more next year.

"When you consider a player like Brent Grose, he played every second of every game this year. It was a magnificent effort from him and he's very important to what we want to do."