AFTER a hectic fortnight, Warrington Wolves have the chance to rest up and take stock.

As Super League takes a break for the Challenge Cup semi-finals, The Wire are not due for action again until a trip to Catalans Dragons on May 14.

A home fixture against St Helens follows on May 19 before another two-week break for the Challenge Cup Final.

So while Daryl Powell’s men will play just twice during this calendar month, they are perhaps the two toughest tests the competition can offer.

Having been comprehensively beaten by Wigan Warriors last time out, the break has come at an opportune moment on several counts.

While Powell will look to give bodies battered by a hectic schedule around Easter time the right amount of rest, he also knows this will be a key time to develop.

“There’s plenty of time left,” he said following Friday’s 40-22 loss to the Warriors.

“The one thing this month gives us now is a bit of time to work on some combinations.

“Don’t get me wrong, we’ve got to play Catalans and Saints in this month but we’ve also got time to do some work when we’ve had none really over the last four games.

“I’m not making any excuses for anything but at this moment in time, we’ve got to work hard to get to where we want to go.”

Powell also made mention of the fact May is a key month in the recruitment market, with clubs starting to shape their squads for 2023.

Players in the final year of their contracts are now free to speak to rival clubs about moves for next season.

As it stands, 15 members of The Wire’s first-team squad fall into that category including captain Jack Hughes, half-back Gareth Widdop, winger Josh Charnley and long-serving duo Mike Cooper and Stefan Ratchford.

Jason Clark, Matt Davis and Riley Dean are also in the final year of their deals as is Billy Magoulias, although the club hold an option in their favour to extend the Greece international’s contract by a further year.

“From now onwards, teams will start to build for moving forward and for us, managing that period is always hard,” Powell said.

“We want to make sure we can move forward this season but also, we want to be strong for the future so it’s getting both sides of that right.”