2022 Season Review: Warrington Wolves

22 Dec 2022

You'd have got long odds on Warrington Wolves finishing 11th in Betfred Super League after a third straight win of the season in Toulouse.

It wasn't that Daryl Powell's new-look side had looked particularly impressive in wins over Leeds, Castleford and the French, but the scope for improvement hinted that they could again challenge for the Grand Final.

Powell was prophetically cautious at the time.

"We need to be a whole lot better," was his assessment of that Toulouse win.

"We've won the game and we're three from three but I'd have hoped for us to take a step forward tonight and I think we've taken a couple of steps backwards."

Come September, the end of the campaign could hardly come quick enough for anybody associated with the always ambitious club.

Just two victories in the 13 games after the Toulouse win saw the Wolves tumbling down the table, amid a host of high profile exits from Powell's squad including Mike Cooper, Josh Charnley and Toby King, all three who would have been seen as key members of the side at the start of the year.

More would follow during the course of the season, while additions also came in, Matt Dufty, Matty Nicholson and Jake Wardle among those to impress at different stages.

Australian full-back Dufty in particular caught the eye, scoring four tries in a narrow late campaign defeat at Huddersfield.

Dufty's home debut ?

?? assists for the full back on his first @WarringtonRLFC appearance at the Halliwell Jones Stadium ?#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/oJkdFT0QGC
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) August 15, 2022

He will be joined in 2023 by the Wolves' latest crop of big name signings, with Sam Kasiano, Paul Vaughan, Josh McGuire and Gil Dudson significantly bolstering Powell's pack options.

But they will need a strong start to avoid the kind of discontent in the stands that followed the team for much of this year, as they record the club's worst ever Super League finish.

"I've never finished this low in my coaching career, so I'm embarrassed by it but there are bigger things at play here if I'm being honest," Powell said in late August.

"The team has not been good enough, the squad hasn't been good enough and I haven?t been good enough clearly because we are where we are and I've got to take full accountability for that.

"But I think we're going somewhere. This year has not been great and there's no way I came in expecting that to happen, but it has.

"And it's happened because of a lot of things that I came in and saw needed to change.

"If you've got 14 players out of contract and you hardly sign any of them the year after, what's going to happen there? It's obvious really and I think that?s what hurt us."

In the final shake-up, an August home win over Toulouse in front of the Sky Sports cameras ultimately preserved Warrington's top flight status just when it was beginning to look shaky - an unthinkable notion at the start of the year.

The main positive for Powell was the development and emergence of a host of young players, who gained experience that should benefit them significantly in 2023 and beyond.

Winger Matty Ashton was the Wolves' best player overall, eating ups metres and scoring some superb tries.

Wheels ?????

Matty Ashton clocked a top speed of 35.6 km/h during this try saver in Round 13 ?#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/OZPS4VTlCk
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) May 25, 2022

Josh Thewlis and Connor Wrench also continued their development into first team regulars to give Powell options out wide, while towards the end of the season the likes of Josh Lynch and Leon Hayes were handed opportunities to shine.

Among the more established players, marquee signing George Williams' effort could rarely be faulted, with one charge levelled at him later in the year that if anything he was trying too hard to turn the tide for the Wolves.

Similarly, seasoned pros Stefan Ratchford and Daryl Clark could not be accused of throwing the towel in, and the retiring Jason Clark kept going until the end, illustrated with a superb cover tackle at the Giants.

But ultimately, the 2022 season will go down as one of the most disappointing in the entire history of the club. Three times the Wolves lost four or more games in a row, there was precious little of the exciting brand of rugby that had been touted pre-season, and they were dumped out of the Betfred Challenge Cup at home to Wakefield, one of three defeats in total to Trinity.

The question now will be how Powell and another new-look squad responds when the 2023 campaign kicks off.

@WarringtonRLFC have announced the signing of Paul Vaughan on a two-year deal from 2023 ? pic.twitter.com/r7M5TrrgRM
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) June 22, 2022

"I've learned seven years' worth of stuff about myself and people, character and toughness," Powell said in a recent press conference.

"I've learned a hell of a lot this year and if I can carry that with me along with the other stuff I feel I'm good at, we'll be in a great spot."

Key man

Matty Ashton won the Players' Player, Young Player and shared the Ken Kelly Player of the Year title at the Wolves' awards night with George Williams after an excellent season in tough circumstances.

The Rochdale Mayfield product continued his development with a terrific campaign on the wing, combining thrilling tries with hard work out of yardage.

Ashton's genuine pace makes him a threat to opposition defences from anywhere on the field, and he will be hoping to continue his progress in a more consistent team in 2023.

Rising star

Josh Thewlis looked on course to challenge Ashton for all three of his awards at one point in the campaign but still finished the season in significant credit.

Whether playing at full-back or on the wing, Thewlis was completely committed to the Wolves' cause, and his presence alongside Ashton in the Warrington backline bodes well for the long-term future, not least with Connor Wrench also establishing himself as a first team regular.

Season highlight

It's slim pickings for Warrington fans in 2022, but their comprehensive 36-10 win over Catalans Dragons at Magic Weekend hinted they could yet make an unlikely play-off charge. With debutant Matty Nicholson scoring a try in an outstanding debut, fellow new recruit Jake Wardle also on the scoresheet alongside a revitalised George Williams.

Matty Nicholson came to play ?@catapultsports confirmed the @WarringtonRLFC back rower covered over 8 kilometers at an intensity of 98m/min ? pic.twitter.com/XCpar8P9Zo
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) July 11, 2022

The only negative was Gareth Widdop suffering a season-ending dislocated shoulder in scoring the opening try - and four straight defeats following the game quickly curtailed any top six talk.