Warrington Wolves 22 Leigh Leopards 10, talking points

Ben Currie's Testimonial was marked with a 22-10 victory at The Halliwell Jones Stadium in The Wire's biggest test before the new Super League campaign.

So with just 12 days left until the Round One clash with Leeds Rhinos, what kind of shape are they in?

Here's our five talking points from the game...

The test Wire needed

Daryl Powell said pre-match that this would be the perfect pre-season test for his side – and he was certainly proved right.

This was a friendly in name alone as both sides went after each other with huge hits. No quarter was asked or given.

Of course, you never want to see it stray over the line of legality (more on that shortly) but having that kind of battle can only serve both sides well.

Having been accused of buckling when sides put it on them last year, the way Wire gave as good as they got here is cause for encouragement.

Wire celebrate Stefan Ratchford's first-half try (Image: SWPix.com)

McGuire concern

Perhaps the biggest dark spot on this evening was the late sending-off of Josh McGuire.

Despite having only just arrived, he has established himself as a key leader within this squad and he will be a big miss whenever he is not on the field.

After a quiet first half, the former Queensland enforcer was asserting himself on the game and was having a strong second half until a flash of red was sent his way by referee Marcus Griffiths.

It brought into sharp focus perhaps the biggest worry attached to the forward’s signing – keeping him on the pitch and out of the Match Review Panel’s gaze.

Already, his card could be marked.

Williams sparkles

Perhaps the stand-out in a Wire shirt was George Williams, who had an excellent World Cup with England and looks to have carried his form on here.

He looked completely at home on the left edge and was a very dangerous running threat – the benefits of working behind a stronger pack looked like they were showing.

Josh Drinkwater too showed some nice touches – a second-half 40-20 helped set up the last-quarter push for victory while he made some key defensive contributions too.

Their link-up will get better in time but the early signs look encouraging.

George Williams put in an impressive display (Image: SWPix.com)

New boys add impact

McGuire’s red card overshadowed a game he was growing into, but Wire’s other new boys will be pretty happy with their first outings.

Paul Vaughan got through some good minutes and was a threat and while Sam Kasiano’s stint was short, his arrival helped Wire gain a foothold after a sticky start in the first half.

His sheer size attracts defenders and combined with some adept handling skills – in evidence a few times here – he could allow the likes of Daryl Clark and Danny Walker to cause chaos.

Matty Russell too had a promising first half, carrying well out of yardage and getting some quick play-the-balls

Paul Vaughan carries the ball forward (Image: SWPix.com)

Tidying needed but signs of promise

We never expected to see the finished article here and at times in the first half, ring rust was evident.

Any real attempts to build pressure were scotched by sloppy errors which one would hope will be eradicated with practice.

The second half was much cleaner on that front and the discipline was particularly good, conceding just one penalty and a single six-again.

There are things to tidy up for sure, but there are also signs of plenty of life.