HAVING secured his own future at the club, Steve Price has not ruled out the prospect of more new faces arriving at Warrington Wolves ahead of the 2019 campaign.
On Christmas Eve, The Wire confirmed Price had signed a two-year extension to his current contract, keeping him as head coach until at least the end of the 2021 season.
Price and his squad are currently enjoying a break from training for the Christmas period, with pre-season due to resume again on January 3.
When they reconvene, there will be less than a month until their opening Super League game against Leeds Rhinos on February 2.
There may yet be more new faces to add to the six recruits The Wire have already confirmed for next year, but it is likely to be no more than one signing.
It is believed there will soon be movement in the opposite direction, with young half-back/hooker Morgan Smith said to be interesting Salford Red Devils.
When asked whether further recruitment was something he was considering, Price said: “I’m not too sure, to be honest.
“I’m really happy with where the squad is at the moment. I’m not going to rush anything if I do choose to go down that path.
“It is a long season and we do play a lot of games.
“I’ll know more about that after we come back for Christmas. If I see fit to bring another body in, that’s what I’ll look to do.”
Chris Hill, Stefan Ratchford and Daryl Clark – all of whom represented England in their post-season Test series win over New Zealand – reported back to The Wire’s Padgate training base last week.
The squad then attended an army camp to round off the first phase of pre-season before breaking off for Christmas.
Price praised the players for their application to preparations for the new campaign so far, particularly new marquee half-back Blake Austin.
He also believes they are more advanced in terms of their readiness for the Super League season than they were this time last year.
“I feel like we’re ahead of where we were this time last year,” he said.
“We’ve set a really solid foundation. We’re building nice positive blocks going forward and everyone is working extremely hard.
“At this time of year, it’s about building resilience and combinations with each other.
“I’ve been impressed with all the lads. They are building little combinations with each other.
“Blake’s been really impressive at training with the way he’s communicating with his teammates.
“His attack will be really challenging for defences, so that will be a real positive for us.
“All the new lads bring something different. The boys are in a really good head space.”
Upon their return from the Christmas break, the Wire squad will embark upon a warm-weather training camp in Portugal before Ryan Atkins’ testimonial game against Widnes Vikings at The Halliwell Jones Stadium on Sunday, January 20.
A game against Rochdale Hornets is also set to be confirmed, with the sides set to face each other at Hornets’ Crown Oil Arena home on Saturday, January 26.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel