Our seventh win of the season was by far the most satisfying as the Wire brought their quality to the table to obliterate a Hull FC outfit in a very comfortable and enjoyable affair. Here are my player rankings from the KCOM Stadium...
This is a particularly difficult rankings article to write, because everyone put in at least a good performance, with a high number of players being excellent. Due to the structure of these articles, someone has to be bottom and it will feel harsh on the people who are lower down, because the team performance was tremendous. Anyway, here goes.
1) Blake Austin
Where do I even begin? So easily the man of the match it's ridiculous. One of the most sparkling individual performances in recent years. Four tries, all of which included divine elements of skill. Austin now has seven tries for the season and is really showing why signing him was such a big moment at the time. His dummies made for sensational viewing and his whole night was a pleasure to watch. His third try is one of my favourites I've seen live. Remember Tyrone Roberts? Haha.
2) Josh Charnley
Not often a player will score a hat-trick and not be man of the match, is it? Three scores at Hull take him to ten for the season in just eight games, a superb return. The comfort at which he takes chances is so good, one of the best finishers in the league.
3) Toby King
By some distance King's best game of the season, a player that is really finding form at the minute. 120 metres is impressive, another element of his game that has steadily improved this season. His defensive work was very good, while he was heavily involved in attacking play too, with assists for two of Charnley's tries. He seems to be forming a really good partnership on that flank, and continues to show that his best rugby league is in the centre.
4) Chris Hill
In any other game, the captain would've been a shoo-in for man of the match after a brilliant performance, one which displayed lots of innovation and skill as well as plenty of drive, determination and defensive discipline. A gorgeous offload led to Charnley's first try, while his clever passing game helped create the first two tries also.
5) Tom Lineham
Two tries for Lineham to mark his return to the team and to the KCOM Stadium. It was nice to see him back in the team after three games out, and he put in a performance which saw him make 142 metres, albeit this is a tally which is inflated by his second try. With him and Mamo both in good scoring form, we have good depth in the wide areas.
6) Daryl Clark
As I say every week about this man, another brilliant performance. The former Castleford hooker secured his third try of the season with a great run from dummy half to surge to the line. He also assisted Austin's fourth try with a neat pass. Remarkable player.
7) Mike Cooper
Another player who is just so consistent and reliable, Cooper has added offloads and flair to his game this season. His offload in the second half helped set up Austin for his fourth try, but it was his astonishing defensive contribution that was so impressive in this game - 22 completed tackles and not a single one missed. How did he not make the England squad?
8) Stefan Ratchford
Another very convincing display of goal-kicking from the full back, who had a good game in a creative sense, with two clean breaks, one of which set up Murdoch-Masila's try. The only negative spot on his performance was a missed tackle which allowed Albert Kelly to score FC's first try.
9) Ben Currie
It's just so good to see Currie back on the pitch. He has fitted back in seamlessly and this was maybe his best display to date. He made a staggering 38 tackles, as well as 104 metres with the ball. The only thing I'd like to see more of i him backing himself in front of the try line and getting into scoring positions.
10) Joe Philbin
After a quiet display at Wakefield last week, Philbin was far more impressive against Hull. He made 40 more metres than he did last time out, including three tackle busts and two offloads. He seemed to have the ball in more offensive areas than the previous week too, which is good to see. Philbin never really struck me as a loose forward, but after two consecutive starts there, this may be where he is best utilised.
11) Declan Patton
He's certainly improving. His partnership with Austin continues to blossom every game and he is becoming an important part of our attacking play. He made 24 tackles, the highest number he has recorded in any game this season, though his defensive stats are always tarnished a little by the number of tackles he misses - five in this game. Very comfortable at controlling the kick with the boot, though made a mess of one that he tried to catch. Was nice to hear his name being sung by the fans at the end.
12) Ben Murdoch-Masila
The newly-wed second rower scored his third try of the season after collecting a pass from Ratchford and sidestepped his way to the line, showing a nice turn of pace and skill. Perhaps most impressive about his night was his yardage statistic - 95 metres made up with just six carries of the ball - making up an average of sixteen metres. Beast.
13) Jack Hughes
He's just very consistent, isn't he? Despite seeing far less of the ball than usual, he still came up with a massive defensive tackle in the first half. Hughes never lets the team down and even in his quieter games like these he still manages to have an influence.
14) Harvey Livett
Livett's first appearance in blue and yellow since the Round Two win over Hull KR was a pleasant sight. He saw a fair bit of the ball too, making up 42 metres with just five carries of the ball. He can consider himself a little unlucky not to have scored when he almost got on the end of a kick. Interestingly, his only two appearances of the season have both been against the Hull clubs!
15) Jason Clark
I did think there was a chance that Clark would start on Friday, but Steve Price opted to stick with Philbin at loose forward, meaning that the Aussie was named on the interchange bench. He made 25 tackles - an impressive number. The reason he has ranked lowly is that he gave two daft penalties away.
16) Jake Mamo
This was Mamo's first game in the centre for Warrington after playing the last three matches on the wing. Mamo put in a mixed display, with some assured attacking play, though his defensive output was fairly shoddy. His reading of the game wasn't brilliant, while he missed a few crucial tackles. He probably should've scored early on when he was held up, though that's not entirely his fault. Not a terrible performance, just one of the weaker players in a stunning team display. There's certainly questions over who starts in the centre on Friday.
17) Lama Tasi
Better. 92 metres made up with nine carries, one of which was a particularly good. However, he has offered so little in terms of attack that it's hard to give him much credit.
There we are then, those are my rankings from a performance that was jaw-dropping at times. This was a particularly hard one to write given the quality that the squad showed. This was a statement win and with just two weeks until the clash with St Helens, this was a very good reminder to the rest of the league that we are going nowhere. Make sure to check out my match report from the Hull FC win, while I'll be building up to the home game with London Broncos next Friday in the coming days.
It's always our year.
Daniel (@aloosewire)
I agree not really a centre and tamsi has done nothing all year a bad signing philbin my choice to start at loose forward
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