Warrington Wolves bid to secure Leon Hayes and Adam Holroyd futures

And their new long-term deals can be seen as a demonstration of the club’s faith in them and their desire to build their team around homegrown prospects for years to come.

> Leon Hayes and Adam Holroyd on their new three-year contracts with Warrington Wolves

While both players were in the final year of their deals, the club held options in their favour to trigger automatic one-year extensions should they have wished.

However, The Wire were known to be keen to tie the pair to upgraded deals both to reward their progress and reflect their value to the organisation.

Director of rugby Gary Chambers was at the heart of getting those deals over the line and having overseen their progress through the academy in his previous role as head of youth, he takes more pride in what they have produced than most.

“There’s a lot of people who had more influence over them than me, but I’m massively proud of what they’ve done,” he told the Guardian.

“They’ve been fantastic for us and they were never going to let us down.”

Leon Hayes 'needed a little bit more time'

For Hayes in particular, there is much excitement and there has been since his talents gained wider acclaim among the fanbase in 2022, when he captained the academy side which also included Holroyd to a play-off finish.

A senior debut followed against Huddersfield Giants in August 2022 and from pretty much that moment on, fans have clamoured to have him more involved.

Hayes on his senior debut against Huddersfield Giants back in August 2022 (Image: SWPix.com)

His first season as a full-time member of the senior squad proved a frustrating one as injuries held him back, but having regained his fitness on dual-registration at North Wales Crusaders, guiding them to the League One play-offs, his chance came in the kind of circumstances a Warrington lad could only dream of.

He was thrown into the cauldron of a home game against St Helens and in that game, a common theme began – Saints tried to exploit his diminutive stature defensively and that has continued this year.

However, pretty much all who have tried have been turned away and as the games racked up this season, first as a deputy following injuries to first George Williams and then Josh Drinkwater before playing well enough to nail down a spot in his own right before his crushing injury blow at Salford, his confidence grew.

Hayes' only senior appearance in 2023 came against St Helens in the penultimate game of the regular season (Image: Mike Boden)

“When I took the interim job for those last six games last year, there were a lot of people calling for Leon to come in but he just wasn’t ready,” Chambers recalled.

“That came from himself as well – I’d sit and talk to him and he’d tell me he wanted that little bit more time.

“I played him in that game against St Helens and he was very sore afterwards. It’s a lot to ask of a young fella to play week in, week out.

“He needed that pre-season and it’s worked perfectly for him.

“I firmly believe a half-back doesn’t come into their own until they’re in their late 20s or early 30s, so we’ve got to look after him and keep him learning. He’ll be fantastic for us for many years.”

'If we can get a few more Adam Holroyds coming through, I'll be happy'

With Holroyd, Wire were the beneficiaries of the financial struggles at neighbours Widnes Vikings back in 2019 – when they were forced to shut their academy, they swooped for one of its most promising young players.

Quickly, his liking for the “dirty work” any good second-rower must do saw coaches take a shine to the Yorkshireman and he became a key part of both the Warrington academy side and his county’s Academy Origin team.

His “never take a backward step” attitude caught the eye of Daryl Powell, and he was the first of the 2022 academy crop to make his first-team debut away at Leeds Rhinos in August 2022.

Adam Holroyd's first-team debut came as a 17-year-old back in 2022 (Image: SWPix.com)

Sporadic first-team appearances followed in 2023, but it was under Sam Burgess when his first-team breakthrough became more sustained.

With Ben Currie having moved to the middle to great effect, Holroyd held down a place on the right edge and like Hayes, he grew in confidence, scoring his first senior tries at London Broncos in Round Five.

“With Adam, I had no doubts about what he was going to bring us,” Chambers said.

“He’s tough and epitomises everything I want in a player coming through our programme.

“If we can get a few more Adam Holroyd’s coming through, I’ll be happy.”

Adam Holroyd scored his first two senior tries in the win at London Broncos in Round Five (Image: SWPix.com)

More games than initially expected

As well as ability and attitude, every young player needs a head coach willing to give them a chance.

In Sam Burgess, who himself was thrown into top-flight rugby league as a raw 17-year-old at Bradford Bulls at the start of what became a glittering career, Hayes and Holroyd found just that.

Even then, he has admitted both have probably played more games already than he initially expected – Hayes, for example, was pencilled in for around 10 games this year.

Unfortunately, the fracture dislocation of his left ankle came in his 10th game when he was looking set for many, many more while Holroyd currently has eight appearances to his name in 2024.

“It’s fantastic to sign two of our own juniors to new deals,” he said.

“We see Leon as a long-term half-back here at the club. The courage, spirit and commitment he shows each week and his ability to compete is the reason we believe he can lead the club forward. He’s in great company with the spine here.

“We’re gutted with the news about his ankle but he has our full support in his recovery and I’m excited for him to be back on the training field when the time comes.

“Adam possesses all the great attributes in his commitment and effort areas of the game.

“He’s played more than we initially expected at the start of this year and held his ground very well.

“For him now, it’s about getting his physical development right and he’s a big part of the long-term future of this club.”