Warrington Wolves fan Gary Slater raises 10 talking points in the wake of the club's season ending in disappointing fashion with an early exit from the Super League play-offs for the third year in a row...
1. Inconsistency.
How can Warrington win away at Catalans, Wigan and St Helens but lose at home to Huddersfield and Hull KR? Do they show the “lesser” teams enough respect?
Pictures by Mike Boden, unless stated
2. Support.
The attendance for the Hull KR game was a disappointing 6,200. The town needs to get behind the team if the Halliwell Jones Stadium is to become a fortress.
3. Hail Tony Smith.
Friday’s result was yet more evidence to support the view that Tony Smith is one of the best coaches of his generation. His successes at Leeds, Warrington and now Hull KR cannot be ignored.
4. Dream Team.
Warrington had two players in the Dream Team last season but none this year. That feels about right. Despite some outstanding results, the team has gone backwards. Some of the players are not as good as we hoped or thought.
Picture courtesy of Super League
5. Scrums.
Scrums must be brought back next year. Play is becoming too predictable and regimented. Let’s get the forwards all together and see what the backs can do.
Picture: SWpix.com
6. Captaincy.
Jack Hughes, pictured below, has been a fine servant for Warrington, making 161 appearances and hardly missing a match, but do the Wire need a new captain? Daryl Powell may want to start a new era with a new leader, possibly Stefan Ratchford or Mike Cooper. Appointing a captain from Yorkshire would be a mistake.
7. Patience.
Warrington under Daryl Powell may have to get worse before they get better. Having finished third for the last two seasons, expect The Wire to be mid-table next year. The ACL injuries to new signings Greg Minikin and James Harrison and the neck injury to Oliver Holmes, pictured below, are not a good start.
Picture: SWpix.com
8. Bring back the ‘A’ team.
Warrington, with a large squad of players, should benefit from the return of reserve grade football. Young players can hone their skills away from the spotlight of Super League.
9. Marquee signings.
One of rugby’s oldest sayings is that forwards win you a match and backs decide how many you win by. So is it a mistake that both of Warrington’s marquee players next year are half-backs with similar skillsets(George Williams, pictured below)? Would the money have been better spent on a big, ugly Australian forward in the Les Boyd tradition?
10. Thanks for the memories.
The Steve Price era has ultimately ended in disappointment but there have been some special days along the way, notably the 2019 Challenge Cup final victory over St Helens. Price, Lee Briers and Chris Hill deserved a better swansong than last Friday’s limp surrender.
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