Set of Six: Warrington 30-16 Catalans

Warrington made it nine wins in a row with a gritty win over Catalans Dragons at the Halliwell Jones.

Wire made an excellent start to the match and were ahead through an Anthony Gelling try after superb contributions from Mike Cooper, Blake Austin and Jake Mamo, but Catalans hit back with scores from Tom Davies and Samisoni Langi. Wire equalised on the stroke of half-time after the returning Gareth Widdop set up Matty Ashton with a terrific placed kick. Interchange Matt Davis restored the advantage for Steve Price's team with his second try for the club, and Austin looked to have wrapped up the win after combining with Ashton. Catalans got back in it through Fouad Yaha but Danny Walker's first try of the season, after great work from Cooper, rounded off the win. Here are my six major talking points...

1) A star is born
It was an incredible performance from Matty Ashton tonight. The full-back didn't put a foot wrong. He was remarkable under the high ball, extremely good defensively and absolutely blistering in attack, putting away a try and setting up Austin for his own score. When everyone is available, there is a major decision to be made about that full-back position - Ashton or Stefan Ratchford? Both need to be in the team, so whichever doesn't stay at 1 will have to be relocated elsewhere.

2) Proper props
In order to beat Catalans, the first task is always to win the battle of the forwards. Wire did that tonight, with the top-class performances of Chris Hill and Mike Cooper, both of whom made a mountain of yardage. Joe Philbin and Matt Davis added plenty from the bench too and it was the efforts of these four that enabled Austin, Widdop, Mamo and Ashton to operate.

3) A tale of two nines
Catalans came back into the match towards the final stages. While they didn't have enough to ultimately make the scoreline closer, it was noticeable how much Wire lost control of the game when Daryl Clark was replaced. Even when he's not at his scintillating best, Clark is still arguably Wire's key component and in closer matches, he will need to be doing the full 80.

4) Trying in style
One of the main criticisms of Steve Price's reign has been a lack of style and adventure in play. That isn't the case at the minute though, with Wire showing they can score tries from anywhere on the pitch. Austin and Widdop are able to set players free and with the pace of Ashton and Mamo, Wire can be dangerous in any situation. Where so much of Wire's flowing attacks start from though is the offloads of Mike Cooper.

5) Are we nearly there yet?
Warrington went top of the table tonight and with nine wins from twelve Super League games, Wire are closing in on making sure of a playoff place. With a few more victories, Steve Price's team will have that top 4 nailed down. Exciting times and a major turnaround from February.

6) Rotation, rotation, rotation
Stefan Ratchford was rested for this match and as Wire get closer and closer to confirming a top 4 spot, I expect to see a small number of changes in each match from here on in, so that by the time the playoffs come along, every player in the first team has had some kind of break. It's likely that we'll see mass changes on Tuesday against Salford as we prepare for the cup semi-final against the same opponent.

Player Ratings
Matty Ashton - 10/10
Absolutely flawless performance. Didn't miss one bomb, scored a great try and ran the line well to assist the Austin try too.
Jake Mamo - 8/10
Threatening and pacy in attack and great work for the first try. Miles out of position for Davies' try.
Toby King - 7/10
Some really good carries and yardage made tonight.
Anthony Gelling - 7/10
Got the first try with the barge-over and was solid throughout, apart from poor defending for the Langi try.
Josh Charnley - 7/10
Metres, yardage and effort from the consistent winger.
Blake Austin - 7/10
Involved in the first try and got one of his own too. Kicking game wasn't quite on it tonight.
Gareth Widdop - 7/10
Superb set up for the Ashton try. Didn't quite time his ball correctly other than that though.
Chris Hill - 9/10
Best performance of the season. Two huge runs and some good footwork too.
Daryl Clark - 8/10
Managed the game well and caused Catalans plenty of problems. Struggled after he went off.
Mike Cooper - 9/10
Another outstanding effort. Dominated the Catalans pack and his offloads were influential in two tries.
Ben Currie - 7/10
Some good tackles in there, didn't see much of the ball though.
Jack Hughes - 7/10
Quietly went about his business but was always in position and involved in the tackle.
Jason Clark - 6/10
Couple of silly errors from Clark tonight, but solid enough.
Joe Philbin - 7/10
Plenty of go-forward and had a hand in the Davis try.
Matt Davis - 7/10
Great effort from the bench and a deserved try. Give him a contract.
Ben Murdoch-Masila - 6/10
Little impact on the game, other than his role in the Austin try.
Danny Walker - 6/10
Struggled to make much impact but crossed after Cooper's offload.

@ALooseWire