ARMANI Sharrock hailed the resolve of her young Warrington Wolves players as they secured their second league victory of the season.
An Abi Johnston try midway through the second half was enough to secure a hard-fought Women’s Super League victory against Barrow Raiders on Sunday
A healthy Victoria Park crowd witnessed a bruising battle in the sunshine as The Wire just edged out their Cumbrian visitors 10-6.
“It was a tough game and we made it difficult for ourselves but defensively, we just kept turning up for each other,” Sharrock said.
“Anything that Barrow threw at us we were happy to keep working to keep them out.
“We are doing it tough at the minute because we have a lot of young players in the group, but they are happy to keep turning up and working for each other.
“The most rewarding thing today is that they have stuck in the battle, and they have come away with the points.”
It had taken a piece of magic by hooker Dani Bound to open up the Barrow defence on 20 minutes with a scampering 25-yard tun to cross between the sticks.
Charlize Magraw added the extras but despite a Rebecca Nixon effort in the corner that was ruled out for a forward pass from Anna Dennis, Wire were kept out by a strong and determined Barrow defence to send the teams in level at the break.
The game opened in lively fashion, with the home side dominating the opening exchanges but good runs from full-back Dennis and Nixon down the right wing couldn’t break down a determined Barrow defence.
On the rare occasions the visitors crossed the halfway line, they were met by an equally tigerish defence, led by skipper Katie May Williams, the returning Abi Latchford and debutant Lucy Johnson, who replaced injured fellow prop Grace Burnett early in the first half.
And when Barrow spread the ball wide, Nixon, Dennis and Johnstone stood up the task of keeping their attacks at bay.
But it was the impressive Bound, playing through the pain barrier after taking a knock to the face early on, who was the standout player in the first half, with Wire losing some of their momentum when she failed to reappear after the break.
In a mistake-ridden opening to the second half, Barrow began to assert themselves, led by the hard working second rower Vanessa Temple, hooker Beth Lindsay and scrum half Jodie Litherland.
Full back Samantha Norman was also chiming into the line well after her defensive efforts of the first half.
As the heat began to take its toll on both teams, Barrow found a way back into the game on the hour mark when Temple crashed over under the sticks on the back of a penalty and a six again for infringements by the Wire at the ruck. Litherland added the extras.
Wire were back in the lead within minutes as a move which saw the ball go through several pairs of hands found Johnston on the wing, who then cut inside to score the decisive try.
With Magraw missing the conversion, it meant a nervous final 15 minutes for the Wire to seal their second league win of the season.
Debutant Johnson, signed from Wigan earlier this month, was delighted with her performance.
She said: “The girls were really tough for me today and I felt part of the team straight away. It was just a great team performance altogether.
“We knew Barrow were going to be tough but we fought for 80 minutes for each other and it went our way.”
Wolves: Anna Dennis, Abi Johnston, Nicole Barnett, Albany Coates, Rebecca Nixon; Millie Bell, Charlize Magraw; Abi Latchford, Dani Bound, Grace Burnett, Katie May Williams, Sammi Simpson, Helena Turner. Subs: Jasmine Wilson, Lucy Johnson, Megan Condliffe, Louise Fellingham. 18th: Olivia Hill
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here