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Pre-season training in Lanzarote

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Matt King holding court at the club's pre-season media day

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Paul Cullen with Cheshire development officer Alan Kilshaw after Wolves won at Salford in a pre-season friendly

 

A WOLVES team not realising its considered potential led to Paul Cullen’s reign as head coach ending in 2008.

There was some hangover from the previous season, when the team failed to reach the play-offs, disgruntlement was growing on the terraces and home attendances were dropping below 9,000.

With the enhancement in quality of signings, including Vinnie Anderson, Adrian Morley (both 2007) joined by Louis Anderson, Chris Hicks, Matt King and Michael Monaghan for Super League XIII, expectancy was high.

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Louis Anderson at Harlequins

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Chris Hicks at Hull KR

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Matt King at Bradford Bulls

 

Despite starting the season with six wins from eight games – including strong successes against Wigan Warriors and Catalans Dragons – scraping home at strugglers Hull KR and Castleford were a prelude to some poor performances.

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Martin Gleeson against Catalans Dragons

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A try for Paul Johnson on his former Odsal home ground

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Ben Westwood touches down in a narrow win at Castleford

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Kevin Penny is tackled at Hull KR

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Celebrating a Chris Hicks try against Huddersfield Giants

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Michael Monaghan against Huddersfield at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff

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Despondency from Vinnie Anderson after a poor team performance at Wakefield

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A try for Matt King in the season opener against Hull FC

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Lee Briers reflects on another narrow loss to bogey team St Helens

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Awful conditions against Harlequins at home

 

It seemed Cullen’s side were falling short in defence and, at times, attitude, and all came to a head on bank holiday Monday, May 26.

Warrington were defeating bottom team Castleford 28-14 in front of the Sky TV cameras, with 10 minutes remaining.

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A Vinnie Anderson try against Castleford

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Chris Hicks goes over against Castleford

But somehow Wolves managed to concede four tries as Cas gained their first away win of the campaign, 36-28.

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Heads bowed after the humiliating loss to Castleford

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Some fans staged a 'sit-in' to demonstrate their displeasure

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Others congregated outside the player's entrance to show their anger

 

Cullen told the Guardian: “That’s me done.”

Former Leeds, Bradford and Great Britain hooker James Lowes, Cullen’s assistant since July 2007, was handed caretaker duties and enjoyed initial success in ‘putting smiles back on faces’ as Wolves went on a run of seven wins from eight games under his stewardship, prompting the club’s bosses to appoint Lowes permanently.

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Jimmy Lowes

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A Kevin Penny try sets up a grandstand finish at Hull FC

Warrington Guardian: Chris Hicks watches his winning kick sail over

Chris Hicks lands the match-winning conversion and the players celebrate

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After the highlight of a 22-12 home win against Leeds, the campaign faded badly with the 46-8 play-offs defeat at Catalans Dragons being a game too far for a busted squad.

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Supporters made it to Perpignan for the play-offs at short notice but it proved to be Catalans Dragons' night

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Had Wolves come out on top in the epic Challenge Cup fifth-round clash with bogey team St Helens at Knowsley Road in May, rather than losing 40-34, we will never know if a good run would have bought Cullen more time.

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Kevin Penny's magical try in the epic Challenge Cup clash with St Helens

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Former Manly winger Hicks was the quickest of the new Australians to settle, his 19 tries seeing him finish the year as top try scorer, while there looked to be room for improvement in the new half-back combination between Monaghan and Lee Briers.

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SEASON’S RESULTS:

 

Challenge Cup:

Apr 20: Leigh Centurions 16 Wolves 28

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May 10: St Helens 40 Wolves 34

Super League:

Feb 8: Wolves 32 Hull FC 20

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Feb 15: St Helens 30 Wolves 22

Feb 24: Hull KR 28 Wolves 29

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Mar 2: Wolves 38 Catalans Dragons 18

Mar 8: Wolves 32 Wigan Warriors 30

Mar 16: Bradford Bulls 23 Wolves 10

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Mar 21: Wolves 30 Huddersfield Giants 14

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Mar 24: Castleford Tigers 31 Wolves 34

Warrington Guardian: Matty Blythe races in for his first senior try.

Mar 29: Wolves 6 Harlequins RL 8

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Apr 6: Wakefield Trinity 16 Wolves 2

Apr 11: Leeds Rhinos 32 Wolves 12

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Apr 25: Wolves 22 St Helens 30

May 3: Huddersfield Giants 34 Wolves 36 *

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May 16: Wigan Warriors 38 Wolves 14

May 26: Wolves 28 Castleford Tigers 36

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Jun 8: Harlequins RL 24 Wolves 40

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Jun 15: Wolves 38 Hull KR 20

Jun 21: Catalans Dragons 52 Wolves 14

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Jun 29: Hull FC 22 Wolves 24

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Jul 6: Wolves 60 Wakefield Wildcats 24

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Warrington Guardian: Look at the power in Chris Hicks' legs

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Jul 11: Wolves 32 Bradford Bulls 28

Jul 19: Huddersfield Giants 18 Wolves 19

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Aug 2: Wolves 22 Leeds Rhinos 12

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Aug 9: St Helens 17 Wolves 16

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Aug 17: Wolves 34 Hull KR 36

Aug 24: Castleford Tigers 44 Wolves 24

Sep 6: Wolves 20 Huddersfield Giants 38

Play-offs:

Sep 13: Catalans Dragons 46 Wolves 8

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* Magic Weekend, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

 

INTERESTING NOTES:

 

Adrian Morley took over from Lee Briers as captain, with Jon Clarke as vice-captain

Winger Chris Hicks set club records, firstly by scoring in the opening seven matches and then going on to play and score in every game of the season

Mark Gleeson became the first Warrington player to make 100 appearances off the substitutes’ bench

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SUPER LEAGUE TABLE:

 

                P             W            D             L              F              A             Pt

 

St Helens              27           21           1             5             940        457        43

Leeds Rhinos      27           21           0             6             863        413        42

Catalan Dragons               27           16           2             9             694        625        34

Wigan Warriors 27           13           3             11           648        698        29

Bradford Bulls    27           14           0             13           705        625        28

Warrington Wolves         27           14           0             13           690        713        28

Hull KR  27           11           1             15           564        713        23

Wakefield Trinity              27           11           0             16           574        760        22

Harlequins RL     27           11           0             16           569        763        22

Huddersfield Giants         27           10           1             16           638        681        27

Hull FC  27           8             1             18           538        699        17

Castleford Tigers               27           7             1             19           593        869        15

 

SQUAD STATS:

 

                App        T              G             Dg           Pt

 

Louis Anderson 24           4             0             0             16

Vinnie Anderson               21           6             0             0             24

Matty Blythe      2+5        1             0             0             4

Andy Bracek       2+22     5             0             0             20

Chris Bridgge      2             2             0             0             8

Lee Briers             26           9             26           1             89

Jon Clarke            28           7             0             0             28

Mike Cooper      0+10     0             0             0             0

Mark Gleeson    3+16     1             0             0             4

Martin Gleeson 27+1     11           0             0             44

Simon Grix           13+4     6             0             0             24

Ben Harrison      2+15     1             0             0             4

Chris Hicks           30           19           79           0             234

Paul Johnson     9+3        6             0             0             24

Matt King            28           11           0             0             44

Lee Mitchell        5+2        1             0             0             4

Michael Monaghan         28           4             0             1             17

Adrian Morley    28+1     1             0             0             4

Adam Neal          0+1        0             0             0             0

Rob Parker          4+23     1             0             0             4

Kevin Penny       24           13           0             0             52

Steve Pickersgill 0+7        0             0             0             0

Paul Rauhihi       29           4             0             0             16

Stuart Reardon  8             2             0             0             8

Chris Riley            18+2     14           0             0             56

Taylor Welch      1             0             0             0             0

Ben Westwood 28+1     8             0             0             32

Paul Wood          0+5        0             0             0             0