2023 Season Review: Warrington Wolves

17 Nov 2023

Eight matches into the Betfred Super League season, Warrington Wolves were clear at the competition summit having won each of their opening eight games.

Victory at Catalans Dragons was watched by a large travelling support that roared its support for Daryl Powell and his players.

Come the final day of the regular season campaign, the Wolves needed to win at Huddersfield just to secure the final play-off place, Powell had left his position and the club were waiting for new appointment Sam Burgess to arrive at the club.

It was a remarkable turnaround in fortunes that left the club still waiting for its first Super League title despite their flying start.

Just the 55 minute stint tonight ?

How big a signing will @Betfred Player of the Match Paul Vaughan be for @WarringtonRLFC? ?#SuperLeague #SLWarLee pic.twitter.com/hoLSFLPPGR
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) February 16, 2023

An opening night thumping of Leeds Rhinos - with new signing Paul Vaughan imperious at prop - provided the perfect start, and it got better and better in the following weeks as Powell's Warrington kept chalking up wins, including in France despite Gil Dudson's second half dismissal.

"That's a record win for the club consecutively in Super League," Powell said after the Perpignan game. "So at the start of the season that's fantastic.

"We're winning in lots of different ways and that was a real adversity win today, under a lot of pressure and I think everybody would have backed Catalans to reel us in when Gil got sent off. But the boys were class and turned up for each other."

Then the winning run ended.

A first defeat in a gritty game with Wigan was followed by another at St Helens, but the Wolves looked back on track after three more consecutive wins, the last of them a second win in Perpignan that booked their place in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

That was when the wheels really started to come off.

Defeat at Leigh and then against Hull FC at Magic Weekend saw them lose top spot, but perhaps the defining loss of Powell's regime came in the cup, when they were beaten 14-12 at Wigan despite the home side losing Kaide Ellis to a red card in the opening stages.

That sparked a run of eight straight losses, in which Powell lost his job following a 42-6 defeat at bottom club Wakefield, while pre-season signing Josh McGuire returned Down Under after a second lengthy suspension of the season.

"We'd like to thank Daryl for his commitment and endeavours since joining the club last season but we feel the team now needs a different approach," chairman Stuart Middleton said.

"Results and performances over the past 18 months have fallen short of the standard we expect and feel the club now needs to move in a new direction."

Burgess' shock appointment was announced in early August, though with him still having commitments at South Sydney at the time, his arrival was delayed until the end of the season, with Gary Chambers taking interim charge.

Chambers ended the losing run via wins over Hull FC and Castleford, with the final day win at the Giants confirming a top six spot that at one point looked to be slipping away from the Wolves.

.@WarringtonRLFC are running riot ?

Daryl Clark goes over for a try against his former side ?#SuperLeague #SLWarCas pic.twitter.com/puE4iHB5e3
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) September 2, 2023

George Williams was arguably the competition's form player during the first half of the season and remained a key man for Warrington throughout, while Vaughan enjoyed an outstanding first season in the Northern hemisphere.

James Harrison had a personal break-out year alongside him in the front row and hookers Daryl Clark and Danny Walker could never be faulted for effort, while out wide, Matty Ashton and Josh Thewlis continued to enhance their reputations with strong seasons.

Thewlis was joined by consistent back rower Matty Nicholson in being nominated for the competition's Young Player of the Year award, with the outside back Thewlis the eventual winner of the award.

But for too much of the season Warrington struggled badly for consistency as a team after that opening run, leaving Burgess with the task of restoring them as genuine challengers in 2024.

"He was a leader for both club and country at the highest level throughout his playing career and is extremely well-driven to now make his mark as a coach in Super League," chairman Middleton said.

"The ambition he has for the club and the culture he wants to instil really impressed and stood out for us during the interview process. We firmly believe he is the right man to take the club forward."

Key man

Paul Vaughan's season might have ended with a much-discussed suspension, but for the majority of the campaign he was among the best players in the competition.

No stopping Paul Vaughan from there?

Watch live on @SkySportsRL ?#SuperLeague #SLWarCas pic.twitter.com/ETC3MhRQbC
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) September 2, 2023

The front rower was third top metre maker and excelled in several other statistical categories, earning a deserved place in the Betfred Super League Dream Team. In his first season after joining the club from the NRL, Vaughan rapidly became a firm favourite with the Warrington faithful.

Rising star

Josh Thewlis continued his development as a Super League player with another accomplished campaign on the wing. The Oldham-born 21-year-old and fellow winger Matty Ashton gave the Wolves work-rate and finishing prowess out wide, with both prepared to do the hard yards as well as end up on the scoresheet. Also at home at fullback, Thewlis has a big future ahead of him.

Season highlight

When Warrington won their eighth straight game at the start of the season, 20-14 at Catalans, few if any could have predicted what would later unfold. Coach Daryl Powell was photographed happily posing for pictures with a large travelling support, and everything looked like it was going to plan with the Wolves clear at the top of Betfred Super League. Just three and a half months later Powell had lost his job amid a complete reversal in fortunes.