Can Warrington Wolves balance their squad for 2023?

Plenty has been said about the centre’s future on both sides of the Pennines but having made clear his desire to keep him longer-term after an impressive loan spell, Daryl Powell now has to plan without him.

With Toby King also heading to the DW Stadium on loan, Wire now face the prospect of a player they invested so much in when giving him his new deal and the man they hoped to replace him with both lining up for their nearest and dearest.

Rumours had been abound that Wardle was Wigan-bound even before the loan deal that saw him and King swap clubs to finish 2022, but not many would have called both of them ending up in cherry and white.

Jake Wardle and Toby King will both line up for Wigan Warriors next season. Picture by SWPix.com (Image: SWPix.com)

Could the situation have been handled better? That depends on who you believe.

While Powell was keen to brush them off at the time, Ian Watson’s comments on Wire’s end of the King-Wardle deal do not paint a pretty picture at the very least.

And we cannot discount the possibility that Wardle simply preferred a move to Wigan - something I'm sure plenty would completely understand.

Whatever has gone on, however, Wire must now look forward and not back as the fact remains they need a centre.

At present, the only two recognised, bona fide centres contracted to the club for 2023 with senior appearances under their belt are Peter Mata’utia and Connor Wrench, and the latter is not expected to return from an ACL injury until well into May.

Connor Wrench is set to miss a chunk of 2023 as he recovers from ACL surgery. Picture by SWPix.com (Image: SWPix.com)

Greg Minikin and Stefan Ratchford have spent plenty of time at centre throughout their careers while academy graduates Jack Darbyshire and Jake Thewlis are yet to make their first-team debuts.

They are incredibly bright prospects for the future, but Wire need someone for the present.

Having assembled a pack that looks to stand up to most in the competition in terms of personnel at least, they now need a backs division to take advantage and at the moment, the squad looks a little imbalanced.

Perhaps naturally, links with England international Oliver Gildart have started to emerge – could he be tempted by a move back to Super League, or would he prefer to fight for his place at Wests Tigers?

Oliver Gildart has been linked with a move to Wire. Picture by SWPix.com (Image: SWPix.com)

There are things to balance – they are also keen to sign a half-back for next year but they will of course have to be wary of the salary cap while they also have just one overseas quota spot available.

With the squad returning to pre-season training in a little over a month and 2023 memberships due for release soon, any positive news on the recruitment front will only serve as a boost.