Welcome along to Part One of my 2019 Warrington Squad Rankings, where I will be positioning every single player to have donned the primrose and blue this season, from worst to best. Part one will feature positions 30-18...
These rankings are based on my personal opinions and how I've viewed the players' performances this season, and how I feel they have performed against expectation of their own individual standards. This countdown will form three parts, eventually culminating in the announcement of my top five players of the 2019 season. We've a lot to get through before then though, andtrhere should be no surprise where the countdown kicks off...
30) MATTY SMITH
TOP STAT:
Warrington have lost every single game that Matty Smith has started.
He might have finished bottom of the pile here, but there's one prize that Matty Smith can be very confident of collecting - and that's Super League's worst signing of 2019. I'll be having nightmares about his pathetic displays and ridiculous errors for years to come - and he only played four games. A bizarre one from the off, his abhorrent level of performance made many fans wonder the unthinkable - had we actually been a bit harsh on Dec Patton?
29) LUTHER BURRELL
TOP STAT:
Luther Burrell has currently filled Wire fans with a grand total of 0% confidence ahead of next season.
Rugby Union convert Burrell looked like an exciting signing on paper, and to be fair to him, he's new enough at the club that he could well go on to be a fine player. However, the early signs are concerning. He is clearly alarmingly low on fitness and has made a number of disciplinary errors in his three appearances, as well as some very shoddy tackling attempts and incorrect play-the-balls. If he is our first-choice centre next season and effectively a replacement for Bryson Goodwin, he's going to need to seriously improve.
28) PAT MORAN
TOP STAT:
Moran scored an impressive five tries in 12 appearances on loan for Sheffield Eagles this season.
Of all of the departing players at the end of this year, Moran is the one which is the most perplexing. A really promising loan spell at Sheffield saw him bag five tries as a prop forward, which is more than any of our props got this year. He made his Wire Super League debut in July's defeat to Salford but didn't feature again, and I fear that he could turn into a solid player elsewhere that we regret letting go.
27) RILEY DEAN
TOP STAT:
Despite only appearing once, Riley Dean was preferred to Declan Patton by 82% of What Would Brian Bevan Say? listeners.
The 18-year-old made his debut in August's home loss to St Helens, and won the Man of the Match award with a confident performance. Dean wasn't afraid to take on the line and showed more creativity in 80 minutes in the role than Patton or Smith did all year. A good tackler too, the local lad put a massive shot in on Zeb Taia to dispossess him. He clearly has a bright future and I'd be more than happy with him being our first-choice backup to Blake Austin and Gareth Widdop next year.
26) LUIS JOHNSON
TOP STAT:
Former Castleford forward Johnson made four appearances on loan for Hull KR this season.
20-year-old Johnson is a solid player and can feel aggrieved not to have appeared more for the side in 2019. He had a happy time on loan in East Yorkshire with former Wire boss Tony Smith, helping KR to memorable wins in the Hull derby and away at Headingley. He has the physicality and the tackling ability to be a top forward, I just hope that he gets the game time he deserves next year.
25) JACK JOHNSON
TOP STAT:
Johnson scored a try in his final Wire appearance before transferring to Featherstone.
There is a danger of Jack Johnson becoming a player that we regret losing. A utility back who can play at full back or on the wing, he demonstrated his versatility this season playing on both wings. Was fairly competent in his four appearances and signed off his Wire career in nice style with a try in the corner against Wakefield. He's started his time at Featherstone well, with a superb solo try at York in the playoffs last weekend.
24) LAMA TASI
TOP STAT:
Lama Tasi picked up Warrington heritage number 1150, which coincidentally is the number of times I have asked 'why did we sign Lama Tasi?' in the last ten months.
A signing that never looked remotely necessary or promising, Tasi was drafted in from Salford and has played at both prop and loose forward. He has failed to impress in either position and in eighteen appearances, did little to change opinions of him. His last couple of games were his best, where he was clearly playing for a contract, which he looks to have earned at Wakefield Trinity next year. He'll be a good answer in a pub quiz on Warrington Wolves players in years to come.
23) HARVEY LIVETT
TOP STAT:
Livett bagged a brace of tries in his first Wire outing of the year, though didn't get another all season.
Eleven games in a Wire shirt for Livett this year, though he has to feel disappointed with his lack of game time. He scored two tries in Round Two, in the home fixture with Hull KR, who he spent some time on loan with later on in the season. His time at KR was fruitful and he was praised by Robins fans for his performances. It looks like he will be spending next year with Tony Smith too, as his chances of making a career for himself at the Halliwell Jones look slimmer and slimmer.
22) DECLAN PATTON
TOP STAT:
No Wire player played more games than Declan Patton in 2019, which frankly makes me feel absolutely putrid.
There's been times this season when I've felt sorry for Patton. Too much of our poor season has been blamed entirely on him, when he found himself in a very tough position - being thrust in at seven for the entire year on the eve of the season after Kevin Brown's injury. From about five games in it was clear he was struggling. His decision-making has been far too laboured and at times just plain incorrect, while his errors and penalties aren't good enough. Some utterly ludicrous moments such as putting his foot in touch when picking the ball up, dropping the ball at the back of a scrum, kicking dead on the second tackle form his season highlights. It looks like a move to rugby union beckons, which is probably a good thing as the feeling towards him from Wire fans is surely beyond repair. Hasn't found himself in a good situation, but has shown that he's nowhere near the level we need. He's not the only reason the season has ended poorly, but effectively playing with just one halfback all season has been a colossal factor in our downfall.
21) JOSH THEWLIS
TOP STAT:
Thewlis was the first academy player to make his debut in 2019, in the home win over Catalans in June.
One player who certainly looks to have a bright future at Warrington is Josh Thewlis. An assured and impressive display at full back in the Catalans win was followed up with a tremendous performance on the wing in August's defeat to St Helens. Thewlis scored a lovely try in the corner after collecting a pass from Stefan Ratchford, and was solid all night long. I'd like to see plenty of him in 2020.
20) RYAN ATKINS
TOP STAT:
Atkins became the club's fifth highest all-time tryscorer for Warrington this year before leaving mid-season to rejoin Wakefield.
It was a sad end to Atkins' Wire career. His tryscoring rate makes him a modern-day Wire legend, though it has been a long time since he has been a top centre and by the time he left, it was more than overdue. Five tries in his final season from 12 starts isn't poor, particularly as his last ever try for the club was to knock Wigan out of the Challenge Cup. Too many handling errors and woeful passing were the telling memories of his last few games for Warrington though, and didn't play for the club after May 18th, when he got injured in the home loss to Hull FC, before transferring back to boyhood club Wakefield in August.
19) DANNY WALKER
TOP STAT:
Walker was the last Wire player to open his tryscoring account in 2019, bagging a consolation score in the defeat at Salford.
Walker has arguably the hardest role at Wire, being backup to Daryl Clark. He has played 11 times in 2019, though only three times from the start, and none of those games resulted in wins. However, he has shown plenty of spark and promise, with good passing from dummy-half and a decent awareness of when to scoot with the ball. His try at Salford was a lovely one, chasing down his own kick to score. I want to see plenty of him from the interchange bench in 2020, as well as using him for rotation to rest Clark - hopefully we aren't as reliant on him next year.
18) BEN WESTWOOD
TOP STAT:
Westwood rounded off his glittering career in 2019, eventually making a remarkable 444 appearances for the club, tasting Challenge Cup success for a fourth time this season.
Our superhero called time on his 18-year-long career with the Warrington Wolves this season, playing his final game in the playoff defeat to Castleford. His performances this year have been mixed and he certainly doesn't have the stamina to do big stints any more, but has still been largely solid when he has played, apart from the red card against Wigan. The club legend.
Still to come: Sitaleki Akauola, Blake Austin, Josh Charnley, Daryl Clark, Jason Clark, Mike Cooper, Ben Currie, Matt Davis, Bryson Goodwin, Chris Hill, Jack Hughes, Toby King, Tom Lineham, Jake Mamo, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Joe Philbin, Stefan Ratchford
And so that was Part One. Join me soon for Parts Two and Three where the countdown will continue. Make sure to let me know your thoughts on my rankings by commenting on the post or getting in touch with me on Twitter @aloosewire and keep up-to-date with all my season review pieces here on the blog.
Daniel (@aloosewire)
Always good to read/hear other fans opinions. For me, Matty Smith was a solid signing (on paper) and meant that the ethos of the club was in tact as both Kevin Brown & Blake Austin put the club and team above their own selfishness - Brown’s the most respectful as he effectively gave up a Wembley appearance by informing Price he wasn’t fit and then heading on loan to allow us to bring in a player to help with the pursuit of a grand final.... But yeah, Smith was hopeless for us!
ReplyDeleteDec Patton.... I think he’s had an ok year, made lots of mistakes but also had the pressure of the town, his family and his own personal dreams. He’s been good and I do think there’s a chance we’ll miss him, should he move on.
Can’t grumble too much elsewhere, good writing mate.