Ratchford joins Wolves for the silver (From This Is Cheshire)

Warrington Wolves' new signing has come to experience the big games

10:00am Friday 3rd February 2012 in Sport By Christopher Terris Taylor

STEFAN Ratchford has joined Warrington Wolves to win silverware.

Salford City Reds’ much-lauded utility man, who made his way through the club’s academy system to become one of the game's exciting young talents, has admitted that the allure of Warrington’s recent high-profile cup runs and clashes with local rivals St Helens and Wigan convinced him to make the switch in the off-season.

“I have come here to play in the big games and win trophies,” said the 23-year-old, who recently stated that he has his eyes set firmly on becoming Wolves’ long-term replacement for Lee Briers.

“I want to play in the play-off games, something I haven’t done yet, and in the semi finals, finals and League Leaders’ Shield winning games.

“I want to be part of the big ‘derby’ matches too – the games against Saints and Wigan. They are the games that everyone wants to play in.”

The Wigan-born playmaker watched on with interest as Wolves won back-to-back Challenge Cups in 2009 and 2010.

But those cup wins, and the manner in which Wolves brushed aside the 2011 competition to scoop the club’s first League Leaders trophy in 38 years, made Wolves’ play-offs fall at the hands of perennial Grand Final winners Leeds Rhinos all the more surprising for their new signing, who was watching in disbelief from the stands last September.

“It was a massive shock to see Wolves’ year end the way it did,” he said.

“I had predicted that it would be a Wolves and Wigan final, so I was well off, but I don’t think anyone could have expected Leeds to get that result.

“To end on that note was a sour point, but I think that it will just mean we try even harder to go one better this year.”

Even after the small amount of time spent with his new club in pre-season, Ratchford believes he has seen the effects of that devastating play-off result on his teammates as they have trained and prepared for the new season.

“I would say that last year’s loss has changed the way some of these guys looked at how they approached pre-season,” he said.

“I obviously wasn’t here at the time, but you can see in training that nobody wants that feeling of heartbreak again.

“It just makes them more determined to go one better and reach Old Trafford this time round and I am here to help them do that.”