In the Know – Warrington Wolves

In the second episode of our new weekly feature called ‘In the Know’ we speak to League Express journalist Matt Shaw (@M_Shaw1) as he gives the lowdown on all things Warrington Wolves.

Yes, but not instantly. There will be a bedding in period for Steve Price and the new-look squad, but you can’t keep a good team down and Wire will eventually come good.

I think as a collective unit they’ll bring a freshness to the squad. Life under Tony Smith sadly became stale after a fantastic spell, but they say a coach has a lifespan and that can probably relate to a squad too. There’s no doubting the talent they’ve recruited. It’s certainly an exciting year.

An obvious observation, granted, but he’ll give them some much needed size. Over the past two years we’ve seen more and more clubs go for bigger forwards. Hull FC and Wakefield are the best examples. In comparison, Warrington probably lacked that sheer size in the pack compared to others. Big Ben will help change that.

Steve comes with a fantastic reputation, but not so much for the expansive attacking play we’ve come to expect from Warrington. When I first interviewed him his go-to phrase was “tough to beat.” He’s a defensive based coach and that will mean a noticeable change to Warrington’s brand of rugby.

A steady start that will see them go under the radar before picking up momentum once the Super 8s arrive. Will it be their year? Very hard to say, but if you were judging it on mere quality, they’ve every chance.