THE sight of Wolves fans streaming towards the exits five minutes early summed up another day of disappointment for the club.

It was an image that said more than any words possibly could after a 28-6 collapse against Castleford completed a thoroughly miserable Easter weekend.

As the supporters filtered out of the ground, confidence visibly drained from the Warrington players and, by the time the final whistle sounded, a sense of utter deflation had descended upon The Halliwell Jones Stadium.

The contrast with the previous week could not have been more stark.

After the 56-10 Challenge Cup hammering of York, a third win on the bounce, Warrington appeared to have turned the corner and all the talk was of picking up four points over a tough weekend to aid their climb up the Super League table.

But two defeats in four days provided a large dose of reality and took Wolves back to what feels like square one.

Amid the despair, one man stayed strong.

Warrington’s head of coaching and rugby Tony Smith stayed positive despite the result but not from some blind hope. It is not that the Australian does not grasp the magnitude of the task ahead of him, just that he has always understood the sheer size of it.

As far as Smith is concerned, nothing has changed.

“It’s a big job and one I'm loving,” he said.

“They’re a good bunch who want to do well and they’ve got some good desire.

“We’re a bit off it yet. I don’t think you’re going to turn it around in six games, it’s going to take some time.

“It’s no more difficult than I thought it would be.”

But the galling thing about the defeat to Cas was the manner in which Wolves fell apart after half time.

There had been little to separate the sides in a bruising first half, a try from Brett Ferres, converted by Kirk Dixon, giving the visitors a narrow six-point lead.

It had been a similar story to the defeat at Salford though. Although the defence held firm and Wolves stayed competitive, they were a touch too predictable in attack.

Their big battering rams up front were the only ones to make consistent yards, with Paul Rauhihi particularly impressive, and they were often sluggish to hit the flanks.

It was a situation encapsulated in the performance of Kevin Penny, back in the team for the first time since the opening day defeat at St Helens.

The young wing did not give a yard in an assured display but did not enjoy anywhere near enough ball in hand.

A couple of near misses at crucial moments hurt the hosts, especially when Matt King was held up three minutes before the break, but when Cas began to play in the second half, Warrington could not keep up.

Half backs Brent Sherwin and Rangi Chase proved to be the difference, controlling the ebb and flow of the game before striking incisively when the chances arose.

Smith is right, he has a big job on his hands but his continued optimism provides hope.

Match facts

Warrington Wolves 6 Castleford Tigers 28

Wolves: Chris Hicks(1g); Paul Johnson, Simon Grix, Matt King, Kevin Penny; Chris Bridge (1t), Michael Monaghan; Adrian Morley, Mickey Higham, Garreth Carvell, Louis Anderson, Ben Westwood, Ben Harrison. Subs: Paul Wood, Paul Rauhihi, Jon Clarke, Matty Blythe.

Tigers: Richard Owen; Kirk Dixon (4g), James Evans, Michael Shenton (1t), Michael Wainwright (1t); Rangi Chase (2t), Brent Sherwin; Mitchell Sargent, Ryan Hudson, Liam Higgins, Brett Ferres (1t), Sione Faumuina, Joe Westerman. Subs: Craig Huby, Chris Feather, Kirk Netherton, James Ford.

Referee: Steve Ganson

Scoring: Ferres takes the inside pass to score after Wainwright’s clean break down the left wing, 33mins, Dixon converts, 0-6; Wainwright receives a looping pass from Hudson and cuts inside three tacklers to touch down, 52mins, Dixon converts, 0-12; Chase pounces on Sherwin’s kick through after hesitation from Monaghan, 58mins, Dixon converts, 0-18; Bridge takes flat pass from Clarke and steps through two tacklers to dive over the line, 62mins, Hicks converts, 6-18; Shenton squeezes over the line despite best efforts of Clarke and Johnson to complete a sweeping move, 72mins, 6-22; Chase evades a tackle from Rauhihi to dart over the line, 76mins, Dixon converts, 6-28.

Pens: Wolves 2 Tigers 1

Attendance: 8,202

Warrington Guardian top men: Rauhihi 3pts, King 2pts, Westwood 1pt.

Interesting note: This was Warrington’s worst ever home loss to Castleford.