A spirited Warrington Wolves fell to defeat in the first game of the Super League season, losing 16-10 to rivals Wigan Warriors after Wire co-captain Chris Hill was sent off in the first half.
Wire started far the better side and a penalty goal from Stefan Ratchford was followed by a superb try from Ben Murdoch-Masila. Wigan hit back through Bevan French before Hill collided dangerously with Sam Powell as Powell was in the act of scoring, earning Wigan a penalty try and Hill a red card. A third goal from Ratchford made it 12-10 at the break and though Wire rallied superbly in the second half, they couldn’t find a score, and Wigan extended their lead through Liam Marshall while the away side were down to 11 men following Mike Cooper being sent to the sin-bin. A defeat to start the season for Steve Price’s team, but an encouraging performance. Here’s my set of six...
The improved forwards
Some of Wire’s best performers tonight were players who had below-par 2019s. Ben Murdoch-Masila was starting in the second row and was superb in the time he was on the pitch, carrying the ball well and opening the scoring with a terrific solo try, bumping George Burgess out of the way after receiving the ball from Blake Austin to score the first try of Super League in 2020. A bit of pace and drive appeared to desert the team when Murdoch-Masila left the field and the hope now will be that he can replicate that performance for longer periods, because as we saw tonight, when he is used properly (from the start and in his right position), he’s a hell of a player. The Tongan wasn’t alone though, as starting loose forward Jason Clark had one of his best games in a Warrington shirt to date. The Aussie was everywhere in the first half, working hard in defence and making plenty of metres with the ball in hand, as well as getting a few offloads away. If both of these two continue to play like they have tonight, Wire will be getting two players that they simply didn’t have last season.
Have we unearthed a gem?
He was impressive in the pre-season friendly against Salford but Matty Ashton’s performance tonight was at an even higher standard. The full-back’s competitive debut for Wire was exceptional. Ashton was extremely solid in defence, only making one error when he let the ball bounce, though it was recovered by Ratchford. The rest of his body of work was superb - a big tackle on Zak Hardaker as Wigan broke in the second half was game-saving, while he was very solid under the high ball and was positionally very sound. The former Swinton player was threatening in attack too, with his rapid pace scything through gaps in the Wigan defence and the full-back being one of Wire’s best metre-makers on the night. A terrific performance which begs the question what happens to him when Gareth Widdop returns - will Ashton be moved onto the wing? Having him on the bench could be an idea, his pace in the latter stages of the game would be unstoppable.
Discipline costs us again
The game really hinged on two big moments. Wire were firmly in the ascendancy after a great start to the game and even after conceding a try to Bevan French still led the game by 6-8. Unfortunately though, as Sam Powell looked set to score, Chris Hill produced a dangerous tackle on the Wigan hooker, leaving him unconscious for a short period. A penalty try was awarded and Hill was issued with a straight red card by Chris Kendall. Given the nature of the injury sustained and the out-of-control nature of the tackle, it’s hard to disagree with the decision. Hill had started the game well but once he was off it was impossible to see how Wire would compete. Despite this, the away side put in a monumental effort to stay in the game right until the end. It wasn’t until Mike Cooper was sent to the sin-bin for obstructing French (a decision I find baffling - if it’s no try then what is the sin-bin for?) that Wigan went six points in front as Liam Marshall found himself in acres of space when the Wolves were down to 11 men. Cheap penalties here and there cost metres in a game in which possession and territory was always going to be precious due to the mismatch of numbers. With 13 men, we probably would’ve won, but that’s why the discipline needs to improve.
A different Wire attack
One of the major criticisms of Steve Price at the back end of 2019 was that our attack was lateral, predictable and boring. It was good to see Wire produce some off-the-cuff stuff tonight, not all of which came off, but having a three-dimensional attack was a welcome change. There was still a heavy reliance on Austin but there was far more passing moves in the channels, which always seemed to break down once the centres were on the ball. I enjoyed seeing set moves from scrums and one of my favourite moments of the game was Austin kicking long on the second play to find the onrushing Ashton, who forced a repeat set with a great chase. The pace of Ashton adds something to the attack that we didn’t have last year and it was good to see our tactics a bit more varied. Ben Currie thought he had spotted something when he kicked on the third tackle but it was easily taken - a moment that reminded me of Declan Patton against Saints last year. There was some frustration at taking the two points when 12-8 down and just 15 metres out, while Austin’s kicks to the corners weren’t great but overall there were some positives to take from the attacking performance.
No centre of excellence
I find centre one of the most frustrating parts of our team. In Tom Lineham and Josh Charnley, Wire have two of the best finishers in the league on the wings. However, they are hardly ever given good service from their centres. Gelling and Toby King switched sides tonight, meaning that there was a former Wigan partnership on the left edge of attack but you wouldn’t have known it - I don’t think Charnley was given the ball clean by Gelling all night. It was the same story on the other flank: Toby King was excellent in defence but offered Lineham nothing in offensive areas. Our two centres never look to draw an opposition player and give their winger the ball in space - their ball-playing skills are non-existent and if you compare it with the likes of Kevin Naiqama, Oliver Gildart or Mahe Fonua, it’s worlds apart. Bryson Goodwin wasn’t the best ball-player but he was better than Gelling in that department and I feel we have missed a trick by not going big on buying a centre in the off-season, as right now it’s almost pointless us having wingers.
An impactful bench
A real positive to take from the game was the impact that the bench had on the game. Too many times last season we didn’t have anyone to come on from the bench and affect things, but all four players who came on had some form of impact. Joe Philbin was the first and he put in a typical Philbin performance, carrying the ball hard and fast and looking to make yardage. Luther Burrell looked decent when he came on, making a few good carries near the tryline and could be a good weapon from the bench this season. Sitaleki Akauola did a short stint (surprise, surprise) but it was a good one with some huge hits in there, if he could do longer shifts he’d be a really good player. Finally Danny Walker replaced Daryl Clark and was excellent, putting in his best performance in a Wire shirt so far. Walker distributed the ball brilliantly and was always looking to find a gap for himself to run into, very impressed with him. Good to see the bench step up like they did.
Player Ratings
Matty Ashton - 9/10
A wonderful debut for the full-back who hardly put a foot wrong. One of the best in the team in both defence and attack.
Tom Lineham - 5/10
Plenty of yardage and metres with his carries and one tremendous piece of defending to save a Bevan French try, but too much rushing off his line once again.
Toby King - 7/10
A fantastic defensive shift from the centre and some good carries too. My problems with King were that he seemed very uncertain what to do on the ball and often resorted to sidestepping nowhere.
Anthony Gelling - 5/10
The debutant had a really tough start to the game but improved in the second half. A silly knock-on at the play-the-ball was really frustrating, and like King, he didn’t offer his winger any service.
Josh Charnley - 5/10
Charnley would’ve had as much impact on the match if he’d stayed at home. Wire never got him involved and that’s down to the centres. Ran all night but for nothing.
Blake Austin - 7/10
A largely impressive performance from Austin, who organised and controlled things well. Assisted the try and made a few dangerous runs but bar one successful punt to Ashton, his kicking game was very average.
Stefan Ratchford - 7/10
Playing in the halves, Ratchford was excellent in attack, using the ball well and always looking to create things. A bit questionable in defence but overall a very good display.
Chris Hill - 2/10
Had started the game well with good metres but was sold a dummy for French’s try and then got himself sent off when trying to prevent Sam Powell from scoring only 23 minutes in.
Daryl Clark - 6/10
One of Clark’s quieter nights. He used the ball well and had the occasional burst from dummy-half but he wasn’t as threatening as he usually is, often Austin or Ratchford picking the ball up instead of him.
Mike Cooper - 7/10
A big shift in terms of yardage from Cooper with some good offloads too. Especially impressive when he was the only starting prop left after Hill was sent off. Sin-binned for obstructing French in the second half.
Ben Currie - 5/10
Looked a bit laboured and slow. Granted he didn’t see much of the ball but when he did he wasn’t affecting the game. Tried a kick on the third tackle late in the first half which didn’t come off at all.
Ben Murdoch-Masila - 8/10
A brilliant opening stint from the Tongan, starting in the second row; where he should be. Scored Wire’s only try of the game, bundling his way past two Wigan defenders before scoring - that’s him at his best. Shame he didn’t stay on the pitch longer than he did.
Jason Clark - 8/10
Probably Clark’s best performance so far for Wire. He started the game superbly and was tackling well, also getting two offloads away. That’s what I was hoping to see when we signed him.
Joe Philbin - 6/10
Two hard and fast carries to start his stint from the bench but other than that he was pretty quiet and knocked on clumsily at one point.
Luther Burrell - 6/10
Some bright moments from him in the second row, he probably would’ve liked to have seen more of the ball.
Sitaleki Akauola - 6/10
Always runs into the tackle well and there was no change here. If only he could do longer stints.
Danny Walker - 8/10
By far Walker’s best Warrington performance to date. Got quick play-the-balls and distributed it really well, while also bursting from dummy-half on occasion. Let’s see more of him.
What did you think to the game? Do you agree with my thoughts? Let me know on Twitter @aloosewire.
Daniel
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