WARRINGTON Wolves claimed a superb 16-8 win in a bruising, action-packed ‘derby’ against Wigan.

With Martin Gleeson returning to The Halliwell Jones Stadium for the first time since leaving in April and both teams battling for Super League position, passion and intensity were ramped right up.

And despite a shaky start, Cameron Phelps touching down within three minutes, it was Wolves who had the last laugh.

Thanks to a stunning second-half display and tries from Matt King, Chris Riley and Michael Monaghan, Warrington moved level on points with their bitter rivals in the Super League table.

Wigan made a strong start but one that probably had more to do with chance than actual design.

Due to the frantic nature, there was always the likelihood the game could get scrappy and Warriors capitalised on a particularly untidy 10-minute spell.

The platform was set when Garreth Carvell allowed the kick off to bounce straight over his head and out behind the posts. It was an opportunity the visitors could not waste.

Warriors piled on the pressure and in consecutive sets, the kick on the final tackle was charged down – Adrian Morley blocking Sean O’Loughlin’s effort and Carvell stopping Thomas Leuluai’s grubber – only for the loose ball to fall fortunately into Wigan hands.

Unable to hold out, Wolves finally succumbed when Briers failed to deal with Sam Tomkins’ neat grubber and Cameron Phelps touched down. Pat Richards tagged on the extras.

Facing six successive sets that prevented them leaving their own 20-metre area throughout the first eight minutes, Warrington survived another couple of scares as two potential tries were referred to the video referee.

Good defensive work from Richie Mathers saw him get his body under Joel Tomkins to hold the back-rower up over the line, while Richards knocked on a Leuluai kick before Amos Roberts touched down.

Wolves recovered enough to dominate a large chunk of the first half, pinning Wigan deep inside their own half, despite their frequent spoiling tactics.

But having ball is not good enough if you cannot convert your chances and at first, they seemed unable to make the visitors pay.

Chris Bridge showed some good signs, stepping his way through the defence on a couple of occasions, while Ben Westwood and Carvell were both tackled just short of the line.

The best chance came when Warrington built numbers on the right flank. Briers floated a decent-looking kick out to King but the ball brushed his fingertips before sailing out of bounds.

It appeared the break would never come until Wolves worked that combination again before the break.

This time King was safe and houses under Briers’ kick, plucking it from the air to touch down.

Amazingly, there was no let up in the intensity and physicality after the break.

Richards kicked his side further ahead after Wolves had given away a cheap penalty just outside their own 20.

But the home fans became increasingly frustrated with the referee’s refusal to penalise Wigan’s continual attempts to slow down the play-the-ball.

Offences were allowed to go unpunished until, miraculously, Ben Thaler pinged both Andy Coley and Stuart Fielden in quick succession.

Sensing their chance, Warrington moved the ball wide and Simon Grix stepped out of a tackle from Roberts to send Riley in at the left corner.

Bridge nailed the touchline conversion to send the home faithful bananas.

Noise levels were cranked up even further 10 minutes later.

Probing at the Wigan line, Monaghan spotted the smallest of gaps and, at his effervescent best, slipped out of one tackle, spun out of the challenge from Richards and dived to score. Bridge’s goal made the lead eight.

It could have been even better for Wolves.

After a dazzling break from Bridge, Briers kicked left and Roberts, under pressure from Riley, could only palm to an unmarked Grix.

He touched down but then had his effort chalked off by the video referee after Riley was adjudged to have taken out Roberts in the air.

But it mattered little, as Warrington closed out the victory to chants of ‘Gleeson, what’s the score?’ from the delighted home fans.