TESTS will get much, much tougher than this and Warrington Wolves still have plenty of work to do as we get into the early rounds of the season.

In terms of demonstrating they are firmly on course to putting last season behind them, however, they can put this down as a solid start.

For all the talk of their new-look pack piling through teams to allow their talented creative spine to wreak havoc, it was the other side of their game that perhaps was the most pleasing.

For much of 2022, Wire’s defence was at best sketchy and at worst pretty much non-existent and unable to withstand any sort of pressure.

They had plenty thrown at them by a Leigh side that has plenty about it but for the most part, they stood up to the task well.

There will still need to be lessons learned from the scrum play on which they were caught out for Josh Charnley’s opener and there was an alarming gap between an injury-hindered Sam Kasiano and Tom Mikaele for Tom Nisbet to scythe through and set up Gareth O’Brien, but they can afford to be pleased with themselves.

Time after time, Leigh were driven back by a Wire defence that showed intent and grunt while staying on the right side of the legal line – they conceded just one penalty and one six-again all evening.

If they can carry that kind of defensive energy through the season, they will not go far wrong and that will allow for things to come together with the ball.

Ring rust was definitely a factor in an error-strewn first half which saw them struggle to sustain any pressure, but a simplified approach after the break saw things improve on that front.

George Williams in particular showed just how dangerous he can be when playing on the front foot – it is common knowledge now but if he is given the right platform, there are few better half-backs in this competition.

Alongside him, Josh Drinkwater’s first Wire outing saw him make some solid contributions – a second-half 40-20 with the score at 10-10 was particularly important to set the hosts up for their strong finish.

Of the other new boys, Paul Vaughan got through some solid work, Matty Russell enjoyed a lively first half with some impressive yardage carries and while Sam Kasiano’s stint was short, he helped change the momentum of the game when he was introduced alongside Daryl Clark.

As well as watching his side show they were moving in the right direction, another of Daryl Powell’s great hopes going into Saturday was that his players emerged from the game unscathed and able to be put in cotton wool ahead of Leeds Rhinos’ visit in Round One.

Sadly, that was not entirely the case – Gil Dudson’s broken hand is a blow for him and looks set to keep him out for a while, but the premature end to Josh McGuire’s evening appeared to be rather more avoidable.

He had enjoyed a strong second half when he was shown a red card for dissent and all of a sudden, Powell is left sweating over the availability of one of his key on-field generals.

It will only serve to fuel those who expressed concern about the disciplinary issues McGuire had over in the NRL, and Wire can only hope that this does not serve to mark his card with the Match Review Panel.

That aside, Powell and his players can be pleased with their night’s work while recognising this is only the beginning.