9:19am Thursday 11th March 2010
By Christopher Terris Taylor
THE first five weeks of Super League XIV is not a period that many Wolves fans would want to dwell on.
It is necessary to remember that painful period, especially when trying to judge Wolves’ progress since then.
To finish week five of Super League XV in second place is not the ultimate goal but it certainly shows how far Tony Smith has taken the team in his short tenure.
Many references to the ‘old’ Warrington – the one that often flattered to deceive – were heard when a shocked Halliwell Jones Stadium crowd watched Brian Noble’s maligned Crusaders outfit breeze through the Wolves defence to touch down in the fifth minute.
Crusaders were a handful in the first quarter of the match and the game had the potential of being much closer than the final score indicated.
But despite going behind Wolves’ confidence seemed to grow with every pass and it never felt that they would achieve anything but a win.
Smith has pulled off the remarkable feat of building a team with unflappable confidence, one that can win without firing on all cylinders or even off the back of a heart-breaking defeat to their fiercest rivals.
It is the attitude that Wolves fans have been demanding of the team for years and Smith looks to have cracked it.
This is, of course, helped when players like Matt King and Michael Monaghan were once again a class apart from the rest; solid at the back and devastating going forward.
King is giving Smith a headache when it comes to picking his team, as the former Melbourne centre looks unstoppable in that position, on the left or right.
Monaghan’s tremendous 40/20 was a joy to behold and his work at dummy half deserved the try he got in the 58th minute, directing the play and causing the tiring Crusaders’ defence real problems.
Ben Harrison was another who impressed across the board, not only putting in his usual monster hits but providing some tremendous offloads in attack.
Saturday’s game against Bradford will be a stern test of the inherent confidence that Wolves currently enjoy but in this form it is hard to picture anything but a Wolves win – and no doubt Tony Smith will be telling his men the same thing.
INTERESTING NOTES
Rhys Williams makes his first-team debut for Warrington Wolves
Chris Riley starts at full back for the first time this season
Mickey Higham starts at hooker for first time this season
Michael Monaghan starts at scrum half for the first time this season
Ben Westwood scores his first tries of the season
Matt King makes it four tries in two games
Third home game and Warrington's third 11,000+ attendance of the season
MATCH FACTS
engage Super League Round Five
Sunday March 7, 2010
Wolves...46 Crusaders...12
Wolves:
Chris Riley; Chris Hicks (1t), Chris Bridge (7g), Ryan Atkins, Matt King (2t); Simon Grix (1t), Michael Monaghan (1t); Adrian Morley, Mickey Higham, Garreth Carvell, Ben Westwood (2t), Louis Anderson, Ben Harrison. Subs used: Paul Wood, David Solomona (1t), Vinnie Anderson, Rhys Williams.
Crusaders:
Elliot Kear; Nick Youngquest, Luke Dyer, Vince Mellars, Gareth Maynor; Peter Lupton, Michael Witt (2g); Ryan O'Hara, Lincoln Withers (1t), Mark Bryant (1t), Jason Chan, Weller Hauraki, Rocky Trimarchi. Subs used: Lloyd White, Adam Peek, Frank Winterstein, Jamie Thackray.
Referee:
James Child
Scoring:
Mark Bryant breaks Wolves line and works a one-two to plough over, 7mins, Witt converts, 6-0; Ball goes out to left and Atkins passes to King on the wing to go over, 13mins, Bridge converts, 6-6; Withers pounces on Witt grubber, 16mins, Witt converts, 12-6; Grix goes over from close range, 22mins, Bridge converts, 12-12; Tap penalty and ball shift to Bridge, who passes nicely for King to steam over, 38mins, Bridge converts, 18-12; Westwood receives offload from King and crosses from short range, 39mins, Bridge converts, 24-12; In a carbon copy of his first try, Westwood gets offload and goes over, 44mins, Bridge converts, 30-12; Monaghan kicks 40/20 for position and finishes off nice move near the posts, 58mins, 34-12; Hicks gets the ball in space and uses overlap to go over in corner, 68mins, Bridge converts, 40-12; Solomona side-steps defence and crashes over line, 77mins, Bridge converts, 46-12.
Penalties:
Wolves 11 Crusaders 4
Attendance:
11,113
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.thisischeshire.co.uk/trade_directory/