THE bar has been set high for the rest of the season after a rousing triumph over Brisbane Broncos in an historic night at The Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Securing a first ever win against an NRL side in a competitive match was the perfect response to the deflating season-opening loss at Catalans Dragons seven days earlier.

The first half, in which The Wire achieved a rare 100 per cent completion rate and took a 20-0 lead inside 20 minutes, made a mockery of the error-riddled fayre served up in Perpignan.

You could see on the Warrington players’ faces that the noisy crowd and hair-raising rendition of ‘God Save the Queen’ had them pumped up from the start, leading to a whirlwind opening akin to Wolves’ displays in their record points-scoring 2011 season.

It took just 105 seconds for debut stand off Kevin Brown to leave an indelible mark on club history, scoring with his first touch from dummy half after Joe Westerman had stormed 60 metres from a charge down.

And with Brown, masterful with his kicking, supplying the pass for Ryan Atkins’ try in the 14th minute and starting a sweet handling move that included an exquisite tip-on from full back Kurt Gidley leading to Matty Russell’s expertly taken try it was clear to see the ex-Widnes man’s impact on the team.

The backline reshuffle worked wonders, looking more balanced with Gidley calling the shots as stand-in captain at the rear and Rhys Evans a class act at centre instead of on the wing.

All the good stuff with the ball was hard earned, the foundations for the win being laid by wholehearted efforts down the middle from top tackler Joe Westerman, Mike Cooper, Ashton Sims and Daryl Clark, with Ben Westwood, Joe Philbin and Brad Dwyer maintaining the momentum upon their arrival.

Back rowers Jack Hughes and Andre Savelio proved to be a handful too for a Brisbane side that did eventually grow into the game.

But the most impressive aspect of all was the way Wolves nipped in the bud, both physically and smartly, Brisbane’s biggest threats for the majority of the match.

Half backs Anthony Milford and Ben Hunt, just two in an international littered side, were in Wire’s pockets.

And it was all achieved with 15 Brits in the 17, six of whom have progressed from Wolves’ junior ranks which augurs well for a bright future in primrose and blue.

Just one question – where are all of Chris Hill, Stef Ratchford, Ben Currie, Dom Crosby, George King, Toby King, Kevin Penny, Jack Johnson, Benjamin Jullien and Morgan Smith going to fit into this team?

INTERESTING NOTES:

. Wolves’ first ever competitive win over an Australian club team.

. First victory for a Super League side in extended World Club Series.

MATCH FACTS:

Warrington Wolves…27 Brisbane Broncos…18

Wolves: Kurt Gidley; Matty Russell, Rhys Evans, Ryan Atkins, Tom Lineham; Kevin Brown, Dec Patton; Mike Cooper, Daryl Clark, Ashton Sims, Andre Savelio, Jack Hughes, Joe Westerman. Subs: Brad Dwyer, Joe Philbin, Harvey Livett, Ben Westwood.

Broncos: Darius Boyd; David Mead, James Roberts, Jordan Kahu, Corey Oates; Anthony Milford, Ben Hunt; Joe Ofahengaue, Andrew McCullough, Herman Ese’ese, Sam Thaiday, Matt Gillett, Josh McGuire. Subs: Alex Glenn, Tevita Pangai, Jai Arrow, George Fai.

Scoring: Brown try, 2mins, Patton goal, 6-0; Patton penalty, 7mins, 8-0; Atkins try, 14mins, Patton goal, 14-0; Russell try, 17mins, Patton goal, 20-0; Oates try, 25mins, Kahu goal, 20-6; Lineham try, 39mins, 24-6; Roberts try, 44mins, Kahu goal, 24-12; Patton drop goal, 63mins, 25-12; Patton penalty, 65mins, 27-12; Mead try, 73mins, Kahu goal, 27-18.

Penalties: Wolves 7 Broncos 6

Referee: Phil Bentham

Attendance: 12,082

Man of the match (live blog fan’s poll): Kevin Brown