IT was an evening inspired by our Armed Forces.
The presence of the brave men and women who defend our country had a profound effect on Warrington Wolves yesterday and not just in terms of a special kit, marching bands and a somewhat reluctant ram being dragged onto the field.
“The focus tonight was on the defensive forces and maybe that rubbed off on us tonight,” said Tony Smith.
“What I liked about us tonight was our effort.
“When we had them at nil with about 30 seconds to go, they were trying their hardest to stop the opponents from scoring and that is the name of the game.”
Smith was obviously delighted with the attacking rugby on display from his men against a lacklustre Castleford Tigers, but it was their desire to keep their opponents from scoring that really impressed Wolves’ head of coaching and rugby.
“It was a good performance right from the word go, the players stamped their authority on the match and didn’t relinquish it the whole game,” he said.
“I expected a good performance, we have been training well and doing the little things well, and though that doesn’t always equate to a fantastic result, more often than not when you take good practice into a game, it will happen for you.”
It was almost impossible to pick out an individual performance from what was a remarkable team effort, with Smith struggling to name just one player when asked for his man of the match.
“There were a few tonight,” he said.
“Benny Westwood came back fresh from his week off and was terrific.
“Lee Briers obviously directed the show again, Matt King is in a good place with his form, as was Ryan Atkins, who was looking really strong and sharp, making good decisions defensively.
“The forwards were all in good aggressive defensive mode early on in the game, while Simon Grix was great with the ball and in defence.”
There was also praise for 19-year-old half back Gareth O’Brien, making his Super League debut alongside Lee Briers and once again marking his performance with a try.
Smith said: “He did well, it was great he could get a taste last week and he showed maturity.
“You are not always sure when you introduce young people if they can handle it, this was another big test for him, but we knew he would cope.
“It was a good night for him.”
But perhaps the most glowing praise was reserved for Wolves’ captain, whose consistency is a quality that Smith treasures above most others.
“Sometimes when the rest of the team is in that sort of mode, we underestimate Adrian Morley and what he does,” he said.
“He amazes me that guy.
“No matter how well the team plays, he plays the same and he keeps going and doing the job he does so well.
“I don’t know when he is going to work out how old he is, but I hope he doesn’t.”
It was another night in which Wolves demonstrated their dominance over some of their Super League counterparts.
It was the team’s sixth game this season that has seen them rack up more than 50 points and the second time they have kept a Super League side to nil while doing so.
It was enough to have the Wolves fans in rapturous applause, but instead of going overboard on his players, Smith’s final thought was with the real stars of the evening.
“We are proud to have spent some time with the Army guys this week," he said.
“We get a lot of recognition in what we do being a combat sport, but when you speak to these guys, who really do put their lives on the line, it is a different league.
“It takes it to a whole new level and we are in awe of these guys.
“They are the real heroes and our players have felt humble to be around them.”
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