Daryl Powell's Warrington Wolves to-do list

Before then, he will continue plotting against them with Castleford Tigers but there will be a few things he will have to be involved with at his new club in the meantime.

Here, we look at the things already sitting in Powell’s “in tray” before he takes over from Steve Price…

Daryl Powell will take charge at Warrington Wolves in November. Picture by SWPix.com

RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION:

While keen not to rush the process for appointing their new head coach and thereby making use of the time Price’s announcement bought them, The Wire were also conscious not to hang around for one key reason.

As it stands, there are 14 players in and around the Warrington Wolves first team who are due to be out of contract at the end of this year.

Some decisions may have already been made for him – Greg Inglis has already stated he is highly unlikely to remain in England beyond November – but there are still several big names on the off-contract list.

Blake Austin, Chris Hill, Toby King, Jason Clark and Tom Lineham are all on it as are the likes of Jake Mamo, Danny Walker and Matty Ashton and young up-and-coming stars such as Riley Dean, Eribe Doro and Nathan Roebuck.

Powell must decide who among those he would like to keep but even if the majority stick around, it is likely to be an off-season where plenty of recruitment is needed.

These are conversations he will no doubt be having in the weeks and months ahead.

Toby King is another of the players currently off-contract at the end of the year. Picture by Mike Boden

ASSISTANT COACHES:

Another decision facing Powell is how his backroom staff at The Halliwell Jones Stadium will look.

The futures of assistant coaches Andrew Henderson and Lee Briers is currently unclear – the former was brought in when Price was appointed in 2017 while the latter has been on the coaching staff since his stellar playing career with the club ended in 2013.

Beyond them, there is the rest of the performance team – from strength and conditioning coaches to physios and analysts – to run the rule over.

He may decide to work with the structure currently in place, or he could opt to bring in his own staff.

Andrew Henderson is currently an assistant coach with The Wire. Picture by Mike Boden

TRAINING GROUND:

This one may not be as pressing, but it is something he may still want to have a say in.

The Wire are looking for a new training ground after the University of Chester’s decision to move their operations from the Padgate campus the club shares with them into Warrington town centre.

Training can continue at Padgate until September 2022 but beyond then, the club will have to find a new site and that process is already well underway.

As head coach, Powell will no doubt be involved in how any new facility looks in order to tailor it to best suit what he requires.

The Wire are looking for a new training ground but will remain at their current Padgate base until September next year