Wire's hopes of back-to-back Challenge Cup wins were ended at the semi-final stage by a resurgent Salford side after an atrocious performance from the holders.
It was a truly hopeless display from Warrington and one which wasn't worthy of any game, let alone a semi-final. Here are my six major talking points...
1) What the fuck was that?
The title says it all. What an awful performance. Salford were the better team and thoroughly deserved the win. This was a Wire display full of errors, ineptitude and poor game-management. I don't think anyone expected that after the form we've been in, so to turn that showing in in the biggest game of the year is immensely frustrating. Many individuals had off days and there aren't many who can hold their heads high.
2) A failed experiment
Ashton and Ratchford. I said in the week that I wanted to see Ashton at full-back and Ratchford at loose forward, and that's exactly what Price went with. However, it really didn't work out. Ashton's positioning at full-back was poor and was at fault for two tries. Ratchford had a very good game at 13 but was moved back to 1 later on when Ashton was subbed. I still think the long-term future is Ratchford at 13 and Ashton at 1, but maybe a game as big as today and in such awful conditions was a day to play it safe.
3) A captain's performance
Someone who deserves a lot of credit for today is Chris Hill. The captain was marvellous in the forward pack both with and without the ball. He takes a lot of criticism, often from me, but he put a proper shift in today. One of the only ones who did well today.
4) Tactically foul?
Wire's tactics and management of the conditions were completely wrong. It was a day to play down the middle and exploit gaps in the defence, as Blake Austin did so well for his own try. Yet so many times players, Austin being a main culprit, abandoned these tactics and went for Hollywood passes out wide, which weren't sticking. Baffling stuff. I haven't a clue what we were doing half the time. Not sure if it's Price to blame as it seemed he wanted to go down the middle but the players didn't execute.
5) Our devils
They've got our number, haven't they? That's five losses in a row to Salford now. Admittedly one of those was Tuesday, which was essentially an academy match. But Ian Watson keeps on getting the better of us. To get to a Grand Final and Challenge Cup Final in the space of a year with his budget is unbelievable. Best coach in the country.
6) Eggs in one basket
So that just leaves us with Super League. We've got to win it now for it to be a successful season, and suddenly the pressure is on.
Player Ratings
Matty Ashton - 3/10
An awful outing for the youngster. Positionally disastrous and struggled to have any attacking influence. Subbed for his own good.
Jake Mamo - 4/10
A terrible knock-on from a drop-out and a tough day all over.
Toby King - 6/10
Good try and a few decent carries.
Anthony Gelling - 3/10
Awful communication with his winger.
Josh Charnley - 3/10
Awful communication with his centre.
Blake Austin - 6/10
Good try and some dangerous kicks too, but some awful decisions in front of the line as well.
Gareth Widdop - 7/10
Short kicking game is immense. One of few to come out with any credit today.
Chris Hill - 8/10
Immense shift from the captain. Didn't deserve to be on the losing side.
Daryl Clark - 5/10
Couldn't break from dummy-half because of no quick play-the-balls. Good assist for Murdoch-Masila though.
Mike Cooper - 5/10
Tried his hardest but couldn't get the offloads going.
Ben Currie - 6/10
Ran some good lines and nearly had Ashton away with a good offload.
Jack Hughes - 5/10
Worked hard.
Stefan Ratchford - 7/10
Was doing really well at loose. Good pass for the first try. Solid at full-back when moved there.
Joe Philbin - 4/10
Less impact than usual.
Jason Clark - 5/10
Meh.
Ben Murdoch-Masila - 5/10
Good try from Clark's pass but very little impact.
Danny Walker - 5/10
One good burst from dummy-half.
@ALooseWire
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