Warrington Wolves talking points after Challenge Cup semi

The dust is starting to settle on Warrington Wolves' stunning Challenge Cup semi-final victory over Huddersfield Giants as The Wire booked their first trip to Wembley Stadium since 2019.

Here, our Wire reporter Matt Turner picks out five key talking points from the action...

A new high for Wire’s healing process

Days like this have been few and far between.

Ever since that glorious August day at Wembley in 2019 when Wire beat St Helens and the odds to lift the Challenge Cup, disappointment and underachievement have reigned supreme.

Sam Burgess arrived at a club and team needing to heal, and what a job he is doing.

Barring a few exceptions, this is the same group of players that performed so poorly for so long, but now they look a team reborn.

Beat St Helens? Tick. Win a pressure game? Tick. Beat Wigan? We’ll soon find out…

Sam Burgess and Toby King celebrate at full time (Image: SWPix.com)

Another focused showing

With so much on the line, nerves were a given even though this was a game Warrington were heavily favoured to win.

That being said, that was also the case for their past two Challenge Cup semi-finals – against Castleford Tigers in 2021 and an Ian Watson-coached Salford Red Devils the year before on the very same ground as they faced Huddersfield on – and both ended in painfully disappointing losses.

From very early on in this game, however, it was clear things were only going one way.

Wire were 12-0 up within 10 minutes and grew that lead to 18 before the first quarter was out. While Huddersfield rallied and were finishing the first half well before George Williams’ stunning sucker-punch before the break, it was a lead they never looked like losing.

With the warm weather making chasing points difficult, one got the sense more points would follow if Wire stuck to the plan and, as sure as night follows day, they did.

It was another shining example of Wire’s laser focus that has been prevalent for the vast majority of the season.

Matty Ashton's try gave Wire a 12-0 lead inside the first 10 minutes (Image: PA Wire)

Winning the key moments

As the saying goes, “you make your own luck.”

With the score at 12-0, Huddersfield’s Adam Swift narrowly failed to gather in an intercept that would have led to a walk-in try as a Warrington shift to the right edge went wrong. From the next set, Danny Walker made it 18-0.

Would things have been different had he kept hold of the ball? We will never know, but it is an example of some key moments that went Wire’s way.

Many of them were self-made – Swift was denied by a superb Jordy Crowther tackle just seconds before Williams burst through on his dazzling run to the line.

Then after the break, the Matt Dufty try that effectively sealed the game came from Ben Currie charging down a kick and turning defence into attack in an instant.

While the tries will get the headlines, those kinds of plays will be raved about within the inner sanctum.

Ben Currie looks to hold off Tui Lolohea after charging down a kick (Image: SWPix.com)

Dufty dazzles on the big stage

When you bring over an overseas talent, these are the kind of games you want them to star in.

That is exactly what Warrington got from Matt Dufty in this game, but it is getting to the point now where this is no longer a surprise.

Whether scoring himself or setting up his teammates, he was directly involved in half of The Wire’s tries to ensure a stellar individual season reached another high point.

The prospect of Dufty galloping across the wide-open spaces Wembley Stadium offers is an enticing one and, on this form, he will be a key part of whether or not the final ends in agony or ecstasy.

Matt Dufty touches down for the first of his two tries (Image: SWPix.com)

Written in the stars?

There are a few key anniversaries being celebrated at the club this year – and it has led to some wondering whether fate has conspired to send them back to Wembley to mark them.

2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the great 1973-74 team’s trophy-laden campaign including a Wembley win over Featherstone. To this day, they are still considered one of the club’s best ever teams.

The same is true of the class of 1954, whose epic trilogy against Halifax included a Challenge Cup Final replay that was watched by more than 102,000 people, which remains a world record crowd for a rugby league match.

And to top it all off, Brian Bevan – the greatest player ever to have worn a Warrington shirt – would have turned 100 years old this year.

Is it any wonder, then, that Warrington getting to Wembley appeared to be written in the stars?

It's 50 years since Wire lifted the Challenge Cup as part of a trophy-laden 1973-74 season (Image: NQ Archive)