Set of Six: Warrington 34-12 Leigh

Warrington's first run-out of 2021 ended up in a comfortable win over Leigh Centurions at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, Chris Hill's testimonial match ending in a 34-12 victory for his current side.

Wire started on fire with tries from Toby King, Josh Charnley and Tom Lineham. Leigh hit back but Lineham soon had his second of the game and Wire's fourth - three of which Gareth Widdop had played a part in. There was a heartwarming moment as man of the hour, Chris Hill, got over for a try and extended the lead before half-time. Lineham secured his hat-trick and Josh Thewlis also got over in a second half that only featured three tries. Granted, it was against a depleted Leigh side, but Wire were decent throughout. Here are my six talking points...

1) Seventh heaven
After a sub-par first year at the Wire and then rumours aplenty that his time in England would be cut short, Warrington's number seven Gareth Widdop started 2021 in positive fashion, with an excellent performance. He had a hand in four tries, sprinkling his quality throughout the contest. His running game was dangerous and his work on the left edge helped springboard so many of Wire's attacks. Notably, his kicking game seemed to be more effective too. Positive signs.

2) The left is alright
For the first half an hour of this match, Warrington's left-hand side looked imperious, with Tom Lineham, Toby King, Ben Currie and Gareth Widdop running riot and causing havoc for a weak Leigh defence. The foursome showed some fabulous interplay and combined for attacks and tries. Even in the less free-scoring second half, Wire still looked threatening down that side.

3) Not over the Hill yet
On a night that was all about him, Chris Hill gave a good performance, coming up with a try as well as a number of strong carries in the middle of the park. He and new signing Robbie Mulhern set the tempo for Wire's attack in the first half. Hill has spoken about the benefit of having his first full pre-season for years and maybe we will see the effects of that this season.

4) Lucky 13
Wearing the number thirteen shirt for the first time, Joe Philbin started at loose forward and did a good job. I'd really like to see more ball-handling from him though, otherwise it's just having an extra prop on the pitch. His inclusion from the start tonight does suggest that a starting role there is likely for the season.

5) Young guns go well
With experienced first-teamers including Jack Hughes, Mike Cooper, Matt Davis, Sitaleki Akauola and Greg Inglis all not involved, there was a chance for some youngsters to get a run out tonight. Connor Wrench went well at centre, while Danny Walker had a very good game at number nine tonight, starting. Ellis Robson played in Hughes' absence and the likes of Eribe Doro and Josh Thewlis had good impacts off the bench too.

6) Big decisions for Round One
Many were disappointed not to see Greg Inglis involved in this game tonight, and Steve Price confirmed that he is unlikely to make it in time for the Round One fixture with Castleford. Who will take the spot at centre? Connor Wrench did well tonight and Jake Mamo showed last year he is a dependable performer. Price may also choose to move Ratchford to centre, with Matty Ashton at full-back.

Player Ratings
Stefan Ratchford - 7/10
Very dependable performance from Ratchford. Plenty of good passing and arrivals into the line. Some iffy goal-kicking and not great in the halves.
Tom Lineham - 9/10
Hat-trick for the returning winger, with three pretty simple finishes. Plenty of strength for the second try.
Toby King - 9/10
Started where he left off last year with pace, running and offloads. Well on his way to becoming a top centre.
Connor Wrench - 7/10
Surprised to see him start but he went well. Should really have had a try in the second half.
Josh Charnley - 7/10
Leapt well to claim the ball, find space and get his try. Unfortunately for him, he saw very little of the ball in the rest of the match.
Blake Austin - 7/10
Started brightly with an on-the-money kick to assist Charnley's try, before going off with a knock.
Gareth Widdop - 9/10 Star Man
Marvellous individual performance. Pace, guile, quality, key passes, defensive efforts, kicking game, running game. Want to see more of that this season.
Chris Hill - 8/10
Solid showing from the man of the night. Got a try and made yardage.
Danny Walker - 8/10
One of the best games I've seen him have for the club. Distributed the ball really quickly and made good decisions.
Robbie Mulhern - 7/10
Got very lucky when he nearly handed a try on a plate to Leigh early on but was good from there on, making plenty of metres on his debut.
Ben Currie - 9/10
Ran hard and fast, great lines. Was threatening throughout as the left edge proved too hot to handle.
Ellis Robson - 6/10
Didn't see so much of him - I was surprised to see him starting in the second row after games at prop and thirteen last season.
Joe Philbin - 7/10
Metres, tackles and work-rate, as always. Would like more ball-playing if he's going to be at thirteen all year.

Jason Clark - 6/10
Solid if unspectacular in a typical Jason Clark performance. Unusual to see him on the bench.
Matty Ashton - 6/10
Came on at full-back when Ratchford moved to six but didn't have much influence on the game.
Daryl Clark - 7/10
Quick distribution and plenty of running. Perhaps unlucky not to get a try when the ball bounced off his knee.
Rob Butler - 6/10
Hard to assess the debutant but he looked okay in his brief time.
Jake Mamo - 6/10
Was surprised not to see him start but had a few bright moments when he came on.
Josh Thewlis - 7/10
Got a try and looked threatening in his time on the pitch. I like him a lot.
Eribe Doro - 8/10
Warrington could do a lot worse than use Doro as an interchange prop this season. He has something about him which I like.
Morgan Burgess - N/A
Youngster wasn't on for long.

@ALooseWire