Set of Six: Warrington 32-6 Leeds

It wasn't pretty but Warrington returned to winning ways with a 32-6 victory over a much-changed Leeds Rhinos side.

Blake Austin, Mike Cooper and Joe Philbin were rested from the squad, while Daryl Clark had to make do with a place on the bench. Ellis Robson made his first start for the club, while Matty Ashton was deployed on the wing as Declan Patton returned to the halves. It was Patton who kicked across for Toby King to score early, but Leeds responded and Wire were forced into the embarrassing measure of taking the two from the penalty to lead 8-6 at half-time. The game changed in the second half once Clark came on and Wire ran away with it with a brace from Ashton, a score for Ben Currie and a deserved try for the number nine secured an ultimately comfortable win. Here are my six major talking points...

1) What kind of win?
It's rare that a win can leave you with more questions than answers, but that's exactly what this one did. The points didn't start flowing until the end, by which time the young Leeds side had tired. The first half was appalling and Wire looked even more clueless than in recent weeks. While things improved after Daryl Clark's introduction, that was surely not the kind of performance anyone was hoping for against Leeds' B team.

2) King of Warrington
Onto a positive note, Toby King has developed into an excellent centre this year and marked his 100th Warrington appearance with a try and a couple of assists. He's been one of the standout performers for the club in 2020 and looks largely solid in both attack and defence.

3) Cloud Nine
The other star performer tonight was Daryl Clark, who came on in the second half and completely changed the complexion of the game. Suddenly, there was more pace and urgency about Wire. His intelligence and ability to find a gap is second to none and I genuinely think he might be the best hooker in the world right now. Wire need to do everything they can to keep him long-term. Deserved his try.

4) Passing comment
The first half of this match was reminiscent of 2019: no passing, just five drives and then a high, hoisted kick in the general direction of Toby King. It was turgid to watch. Things dramatically improved in the second half though, partly due to the inclusion of Clark, but also because Wire started passing the ball and creating spaces. We are a much better team when we actually attack the opposition.

5) Unlucky 13?
It was a bizarre team selection tonight from Steve Price. I was disappointed to see Patton involved in the halves - why not move Ratchford there and give Ashton more freedom at full-back? This would've been a chance for Josh Thewlis to start on the wing - his reward for his superb performance at Salford a few weeks ago.

6) Half or coach?
The chicken or the egg debate is a great one, but I would like to ask whether Wire's creativity struggles are due to the halves or the coach? Is it the individuals at 6 and 7 who aren't performing or is it tactical issues? Tonight, for me, proved that it is the latter. Patton/Widdop was the latest 6/7 duo, and they, just like Austin/Widdop, Austin/Ratchford and Austin/Patton, were unable to break down Leeds in front of the line. People - it's not the players, it's the coach's tactics.

Player Ratings
Stefan Ratchford - 6/10
One of his less influential performances tonight but no mistakes.
Matty Ashton - 7/10
A poor start to the match but improved as it went on and got two tries.
Toby King - 9/10
Fantastic performance. Got a try of his own and contributed to a couple of others.
Anthony Gelling - 3/10
Really poor performance tonight, littered with errors.
Josh Charnley - 4/10
Tough night for Charnley on the wing. Couple of errors.
Declan Patton - 5/10
Some good passes but also plenty of errors.
Gareth Widdop - 6/10
Good defensive effort and a decent kick for the Ashton try.
Chris Hill - 6/10
Decent effort in the forward pack, well-disciplined.
Danny Walker - 7/10
Great effort and endeavour from the young man.
Ellis Robson - 6/10
Didn't do much wrong but didn't have too much impact either.
Ben Currie - 6/10
Got a good try after a nice dummy but really should've set up another but made an awful decision.
Jack Hughes - 5/10
Really doesn't look the same player.
Jason Clark - 5/10
Struggling to see what his role is.
Luis Johnson - 6/10
Some really good carries with the ball.
Sitaleki Akauola - 3/10
Getting a sin-bin after being on the pitch for two minutes sums his season up really.
Daryl Clark - 10/10
Changed the game completely. What a player.
Matt Davis - 7/10
Had a good impact from the bench. Pleased he's staying.

@ALooseWire