Wolves season review 2002
http://www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/articles/2289/1/Wolves-season-review-2002/Page1.html
By Orbit News Ltd.
Published on 01/01/02 3:30 pm
by Gary Skentelbery
WARRINGTON Wolves staged a tremendous second half-fight back to clinch a dramatic winning start to Super League Seven.
The Wolves looked dead and buried as they trailed Halifax Blue Sox 0-16 at the break.
They surrendered far too much possession as the visitors raced in for three tries without reply.
But Performance Director Steve Anderson clearly read the riot act at the interval as the Wolves looked like a different team.
It took just three minutes of the new half for Warrington to breach the Halifax defence after Lee Briers had found touch with a 40-20 kick to give his side head and feed.
From the scrum skipper Matt Rodwell worked a move to race in unopposed behind the sticks. With Briers lying outstretched receiving treatment Rob Smyth added the two to make it 6-16.
The Wolves looked meaner and sharper and were soon back in the game as Sid Domic broke clear to feed the supporting Smyth who went in for a classic wingers try down the touchline. Briers landed a great conversion to make it 12-16.
But the visitors hit back as Darryl Cardiss grabbed his second try of the afternoon and Karl Hammond added the two to make it 12-22.
But the Wolves stuck to their task and with the clock ticking away Dean Busby broke and fed the supporting Rodwell who went over for his second try. Briers made no mistake to close the gap to just four points.
The impressive Dale Cardoza gave the Wolves the lead for the first time in the 72nd minute after a strong run and Briers added the conversion to make it 24-22.
Halifax mounted a concerted effort and had the Wolves pegged on their own line for 18 consecutive tackles but the defence held firm.
In the final minute Centre David Kidwell intercepted on half way to clinch a memorable victory.Pictures show Club Mascot Wolfie receiving his squad shirt from sponor Gary Skentelbery, Managing Editor of warrington-worldwide.
WARRINGTON Wolves again failed to compete for the full 80 minutes as they ran out of steam against Leeds Rhinos.
In a pulsating match which saw the lead change hands four times, Leeds eventually proved too strong against a Warrington sidewhich could not be faulted for effort
But their must be a question mark against the Wolves' fitness.
They got off to the best possible start when Rob Smyth scored after just three minutes following a towering Lee Briers 'bomb.'
Briers converted from the touchline but the Rhinos were quick to respond as they forced a drop out and then hit back with Andy Hay sending Senior over.
The video official was then called into action to rule out a try for either side as the game continued to flow from end to end.
Warrington's Steve Maden was the first to fall foul of the video ref before Chev Walker was disappointed at the other end.
But the Rhinos did not have long to wait before a replay decision went in their favour as Senior was adjudged to have correctly grounded a high Ben Walker kick.
Both sides quickly exchanged tries. Briers first intercepted Ben Walker to dart through and convert to level at 12-12 before the Wolves sat back and allowed Ryan Sheridan to waltz through.
Leeds then added another for good measure before the break when a length-of-the-field break by forward Wayne McDonald set up Francis Cummins.
Warrington roared back with two tries soon after the restart. Alstead got the first when he charged through a melee of players but it was no surprise that the ref referred the decision upstairs before awarding the try.
Ganson's tough night then continued as in trying to keep pace with the game he prevented Rob Burrow getting in a tackle on Domic allowing the utility man to run under the posts.
Briers converted to level the scores but in keeping with the game, Leeds responded by returning the ball to the other end and scoring.
A long Ben Walker pass allowed Hay to continue his fine try scoring start to the season and Burrows then gave Leeds a decisive edge when he jinked his way through for a superb individual four-pointer.
But Warrington were not done and were again denied by slow motion review as Paul Marquet was ruled to have been stopped inches short of the line.
Seconds later it was all over as St Hilaire galloped down an open touchline to score and set up another simple Walker kick.
St Hilaire then added another when he twisted his way in for a second moments later.
Briers then grabbed a consolation but Leeds rubbed salt into the wounds by bringing up the half-century when Adrian Vowles' drop goal attempt from the halfway line in the last minute rebounded off an upright and Willie Poching gathered to score.
WARRINGTON Wolves "reject" Steve McCurrie came back to haunt his former club as Widnes Vikings continued their impressive start to Super League.
But the defeat saw the rocky Wolves left reeling joint bottom of the Super League following their fourth consecutive defeat.
After Warrington had hauled themselves back into the game with two second half tries from Sid Domic and Rob Smyth, the Vikings scored two late tries for a memorable victory.
Yet again the Wolves defence crumbled in the closing stages as McCurrie grabbed the match winning try with just five minutes left on the clock.
The try must have tasted sweet for McCurrie who was shown the door by the new Wolves regime at the end of last season, re-joining the club where he made his name.
Not surprisingly McCurrie had a big game, alongside Craig Weston, who was also shown the door at Wilderspool at the start of the season, after refusing to leave his Yorkshire home to settle in the town.
Widnes started the brighter with half-back Steve Carter grabbing the opening try early on after snatching the ball and racing clear under the sticks - much to the amazement of the startled Warrington players who were expecting a penalty which never came.
One of Warrington's shining lights, hooker Jon Clarke levelled the scores as the teams were locked 6-6 at the break.
Warrington looked to have done enough to gain a much-needed victory in one of their "must win matches" if they ever had hopes of making the play-offs.
But as they opened up a 14-6 lead the Vikings had other ideas as Percival and then McCurrie grabbed killer tries.
After consecutive defeats to Bradford, Leeds, Salford and now Widnes, Warrington look like facing a relegation dog fight instead of a top six play-of place.
Warrington face a make or break trip to Wakefield on Sunday, with the losers being left alone at the foot of the table.
With a visit to Wigan the following Friday, it wont get any easier!
WARRINGTON Wolves reached rock bottom at the foot of Super League as they slumped 32-20 at fellow strugglers Wakefield Wildcats.
In a match both teams were desperate to win, Wakefield finished the stronger as they condemned the Wolves to their 5th consecutive defeat.
After the match Warrington's performance director Steve Anderson was still upbeat saying: "In the first half we had losses and used up all our bench.
"All we had left was the blood bin - and the players just ran out of steam.
"The injuries affected us towards the back end of the game. But its still early in the season and I am pleased with the way the kids are going."
Stand-off Graham Law inspired the Wildcats to victory with two tries and he also landed six successful kicks from as many attempts.
It took just four minutes for the home side to score when scrum-half Nathan Wood split open the defence.
Warrington hit back through Sid Domic who scored after 15 minutes, making amends for an earlier miss.
The Wolves looked to have the upper hand until Wildcat's hooker David March broke in cnetre of field to feed Wood for his second try, followed soon afterwards by Gareth Ellis.
Wakefield were given a wake up call two minutes into the second half as Dean Busby went over but then the Wolves' fumbled on 54 minutes allowing Damon Keating to score to make it 24-10.
Back came Warrington as winger Rob Smyth scored a sensational 60 yards solo try and then Darren Burns kicked through for his sides 4th try.
Lee Briers converted to bring Warrington within a try score but Law then landed a penalty four minutes from time.
In the final seconds Martyn Holland stole the ball from Briers to seal Warrington's fate.
Most worrying for Warrington is they have now been beaten by all the sides considered to be strugglers - with their next match being Wigan away on Friday.
ONLY the most optimistic of Wolves supporters could have expected to come away from Wigan with a victory.
But equally, the pessimists would have hoped for something better than the 10-try rout the Wolves suffered.
Full-back Lee Penny scored Warrington's only try after 19 minutes on his return from a broken hand. But any joy this brought was short-lived as he went off in obvious pain, clutching his right wrist. He subsequently went to hospital for X-rays.
Wigan were without six members of their likely Challenge Cup final team, but even so they brushed aside Wolves' pathetic challenge.
It was Warrington's sixth successive defeat and left them firmly rooted at the foot of the Super League.
Wolves will have to do much, much better than this if they are to survive in the top flight. A new stadium will not make them play better.
There were obvious deficiencies in defence which flattered Wigan who were themselves trying to forget successive defeats at the hands of St Helens and Hull.
The Warriors will meet much tougher opposition than Wolves were able to provide but, worryingly for Wolves' fans, so will Warrington.
JUST eight games into the season and Warrington Wolves are staring relegation in the face for the first time in the club's proud history.
London Broncos recorded their first Super League win of the season away from their Griffin Park home as they piled the pressure on haplass Warrington.
The Wolves showed plenty of fighting spirit - perhaps a little too much, as both Dale Laughton and Leory Rivett spent 10 minutes in the sin bin, alongside London pair Jim Dymock and Richie Barnett, for fisticuffs.
Clearly lacking confidence following their recent 10 try demolition at Wigan, Warrington managed a bright start, which faded fast.
The Broncos were soon 8-2 in the lead although Warrington levelled when Rob Smyth raced in against his former club.
However the visitors restored their lead just before the break when Steele Retchless raced on to Dymock's grubber kick, with Tony Martin adding his his second conversion on top of two earlier penalities to make it 8-16 at the break.
Briers had a chance to claw back some points at the start of the second half but was wide with his third effort from five and when Jason Heatherinton and Russell Bawden scored in the closing quarter it was all over for the Wolves.
The impressive Nick Fozzard, he gave a 110 per cent and didn't deserve to be on the losing side, claimed a late consolation try for the Wolves.
But with a daunting trip to Hull at the weekend, followed by the visit of St Helens, it is difficult to see where Warrington's next win is coming from as they remain rooted to the foot of the league.
WARRINGTON Wolves turned the form book upside down with an impressive victory at Hull.
Seven straight defeats and without a win since the opening day of the season, Warrington produced one of the shocks of the season against a team bidding to go second in the table.
Winger Leroy Rivett set the Wolves on their way with an opportunist try in the 13th minute, which put Warrington in great heart as they were inspired by half back Matt Rodwell and Lee Briers.
Former Wolves favourite Toa Kohe-Love levelled the scores before Briers weighed in with a penalty and three drop goals to open up a 6-11 lead.
Rodwell extended the lead when he followed up his own kick and although Chris Chester kept the home side in touch Briers went 80 metres for an interception try which set the travelling fans rejoicing.
Head Coach David Plange was delighted with the victory and said: "It might not have been pretty but it was a great result.
"We have taken some stick recently but the players showed real commitment and they deserved their win."
Hull boss Shaun McRae added: "We were beaten by the better side. They were more enthusiastic and they controlled the game and controlled us.
"It' a disappointing defeat but I have to say Warrington deserved it."
By Gary Skentelbery
WARRINGTON Wolves showed plenty of fighting spirit in a Wilderspool points bonanaza with St Helens as they bounced back from a possible massacre.
Trailing 0-28 in as many minutes and 12-44 early in the second half the Wolves managed to dig deep with a stunning fightback as they clawed back four tries without response to set up a grandstand finish.
If it hadn't been for a spell in the first half when Saints raced in for five tries in a stunning 15 minute spell, the Wolves may have pulled of a famous victory.
As it was they almost pulled off one of the greatest fightbacks of all time.
Saints were mising five regular first teamers, including half-backs Sean Long and Tommy Martyn, but they still ouzed class.
After a bright opening Warrington made the mistake of allowing Saints to run with the ball and they had no answer to the visiotrs electrifying pace.
An interception ry from Lee Briers and a close range effort from hooker Jon Clarke signalled the start of a possible comeback.
But when the visotrs scored either side of the interval it looked all over for the Wolves.
But young scrum-half Gary Hulse came on for skipper Matt Rodwell and instantly made a difference.
Another substitute, Paul Wood, finished off a weaving run followed by full-back David Alstead. Briers then fashioned tries for winger Rob Smyth and the on-loan Halliwell, to set up a grand stand finish.
But Saints managed to hang on.
Head Coach David Plange took heart form his sides rallying finish.
"St Helens played champagne football in the first half and it is very difficult to defend against.
"But we set ourselves goals for the second hal and we went out and earned respect. A few weeks ago if we had gone in at half time with a scoreline like that things could have gone horibly wrong. But the players showed a committed performance in the second half and showed they have character."Picture shows hooker Jon Clarke about to force his way over the try line.
By Sports staff
WARRINGTON suffered an eight try hammering at the Jungle but managed to move up a place in the table on points difference after fellow strugglers Wakefield were hammered by St Helens.
The only positive to come out of Warrington's defeat was the inspired form of half-back Lee Briers who scored a fine solo try and landed six goals as he watched his team mates struggle.
Trailing 22-10 at the break Warrington started the second half brightly.
Briers landed a penalty and then put fellow half-back Gary Hulse through to an open line but the youngster failed to hold the ball with the line at his mercy.
The Tigers punished Warrington for their miss as Prop Andy Lynch crashed over. When substitute John Wells scored again six minutes later the game was over as a contest.
Late efforts from substitute Tommy O'Reilley, who was put through by new signing Graham Appo and a try for Darren Burns provided the Wolves with a late rally.
Assistant Coach Paul Darbyshire said: "I thought our first half performance was unacceptable and our players were made aware of that at half-time.
"I thought the players responded at the opening of the second half but we came up with too many unforced errors allowing the pressure off the opposition.
"There are always positives to come out of it and we got within striking distance but we can't afford to keep giving teams 15-20 points start."
By Gary Skentelbery
A LAST gasp blunder by half-back Lee Briers on an evening when he should have been celebrating a new Super League record cost Warrington Wolves the chance of a much-needed victory.
Clinging on to a slim 10-11 lead after Briers had booted his way into the record books with five drop goals he kicked out on the full allowing Halifax one last chance to attack.
With literally seconds left on the clock former Wigan winger Daryl Cardiss broke Warrington's hearts with a last gasp try.
Warrington could not be faulted for effort and commitment as they put their bodies on the line.
But with a number of walking wounded swelling their ranks they could not hang on for the victory they deserved.
Briers would have probably been man-of-the match if it hadn't been for his last minute blunder.
Although the match was not the finest spectacle in the world the grand stand finish provided plenty of excitement as well as heartbreak for Briers and his team mates.
The young half-back sank to his knees in despair at the final hooter as he realised his reckless kick had cost his team dear.
Warrington led 0-10 after an hour, thanks to a try from the on-loan Halliwell against his former team mates.
Little seemed to be going right for Halifax who had three tries ruled out by the vieo referee, although Warrington also had there fair share of chances, with two players being held up over the line.
But the Blue Sox kept chipping away at the Wolves' lead, eventually gaining the ultimate reward in the final seconds.
With fellow strugglers Wakefield winning at Castleford, Warrington are now locked in a relegation dog fight with Salford.
By Gary Skentelbery
IT was never going to be pretty but Warrington snatched a vital victory over fellow strugglers Wakefield in a hard fought clash at Wilderspool.
It wasn't until the last minute that Warrington secured victory when on-loan Danny Halliwell swooped on a loose ball and raced 40 metres for his second touchdown.
It was Trinity who started the brighter when winger Neil Law raced in unopposed after a neat kick from Martin Moana to make it 0-4 to the visitors.
Halliwell then put the Wolves level with his first try and Rob Smyth landed the conversion to make it 6-4 to the Wolves.
But Wakefield drew level at the break when Briers dropped out on the full from under his own sticks to allow Graham Law to land the penalty.
Two tries in 10 minutes from Sid Domic and man-of-the-match Jon Clarke should have been enough to put Warrington in command at 18-6 but they failed to kill off the game and when Brad Davis scored on the hour a real battle ensued for the last 20 minutes.
It wasn't until Halliwell scored with a last gasp effort that it secured a much-needed victory which moved Warrington above Wakefield on points
By Gary Skentelbery
DESPITE two tries from new signing Ben Westwood Warrington wilted in the Carcassone heat in Southern France.
The Wolves missed out on the opportunity of pulling away from the relegation zone after taking an early lead through a Lee Briers penalty.
But playing in a 100 degrees London adapted better to the conditions in their "home" game and after equalising through a Tony Martin penalty they took a lead they never gave up when Jim Dymock went over.
Scrum-half Dennis Moran, who had a hand in the first try then went on a 95 metre break to score to make it 14-2 after half an hour.
Westwood reduced the arrears with his first try but then early in the second half Nigel Roy capitalised on a blunder by Rob Smyth to open up a 14 point gap again.
Briers threw the Wolves a lifeline with a fine try but Warrington again let it slip when Steve Hall went in at the corner.
Back came the Wolves with Westwood's second try but then with just six minutes left on the clock London made sure of the points with an 80 metres dash down the right wing by Paul Sykes.
By Sports staff
A BRIGHT start followed by the opposition scoring at will and then a rousing fight back - sound familiar?
Warrington don't seem to be learning any lessons because when they do put their minds to it they can compete with the best.
But giving a team like Wigan a 29 point start is just too big a hurdle to overcome.
And whatever anyone says about a gutsy fightback and never giving in, there are some serious weaknesses in the Warrington team with some players clearly not up to Super League standard.
Once Wigan got up steam the Warrington defence was nothing short of pathetic and unless some big decisions are taken, Warrington could find themselves in for the drop.
Warrington's cause was not helped by Salford pulling of a shock victory at Widnes which leaves the Wolves joint bottom.
After going 29 points behind early in the second half Warrington did give their loyal fans something to shout about.
Tries from Halliwell, Wood and Noone, the latter two making a big impact after coming off the bench, gave the Wolves some hope and if another try had not been ruled out by the video ref the comeback of all comebacks could have been on the cards.
That decision against the Wolves signalled Wigan's wake up call with two late tries.
After the match Warrington's coach David Plange said: "Wigan punished us very heavily for our errors and that is an area we have to work on.
"But I was pleased with our second half performance as it was a vastly improved."
By Gary Skentelbery
WARRINGTON Wolves pulled off an unexpected victory at Leeds with an 80th minute drop goal from Lee Briers.
The last gasp goal sank a Leeds team which had dominated in the early stages but flagged as the game went on.
Briers was Wolves' hero, tormenting the home side with clever kicking and inspirational moves.
After the game he said: "We never gave in and we knew when we got it back to 22-12 we could make up the 10 points.
"Leeds are well known as front-runners but they got a fright at Wakefield last week and we thought we had a chance."
Briers said the victory would be a big psychological boost for Wolves.
One factor in Warrington's victory could well have been the fact that five of the Leeds side are members of the Great Britain party travelling to Australia for the one-off Test.
A disappointed Leeds coach Daryl Powell commented: "A couple of our blokes looked like they were already on the plane in the second half.
"But you've got 13 blokes out there not just the five and we had plenty of experienced people who should have been able to finish off the game."
It was Wolves' first win at Headingley since the open day of Super League in march 1996.
By Sports staff
AN off kicking day for Lee Briers cost Warrington Wolves as neighbours Widnes recorded a league double.
Warrington showed plenty of commitment as they matched Widnes on the try scoring front.
But Briers missed some crucial kicks which assistant coach Gary Chambers admitted had "taken their toll" on the team.
Warrington held a slender 12-14 lead at the interval in a classic "tit for tat" derby.
While Jerome Guisset touched down twice and Danny Halliwell latched on to a kick to claim Warrington's three first half tries, Briers was only able to convert one.
The Vikings' first half points came through tries by Stuart Spruce and Gareth Haggerty with Barry Eaton landing two goals.
Widnes were on level terms two minutes into the second half when Eaton landed a penalty and then re-took the lead when Adam Hughes touched down Craig Weston's kick to make it 18-14.
Warrington drew level 12 minutes from time when a break by Darren Burns released Nathan Wood to sprint 40 metres to score. But Briers was again off target.
The Vikings edged back in front with a Hughes penalty and then Spruce popped up for the match winning try.
Defeat leaves Warrington well and truly in the relegation dog fight and facing a massive game with Salford at Wilderspool on Sunday.
By Gary Skentelbery
RELIEVED Warrington Wolves eased their relegation fears with a hard earned 18-9 victory over fellow strugglers Salford at Wilderspool.
A last minute try from half-back Lee Briers finally killed off the visitors in a tense affair.
Briers had given the Wolves an early lead following a high tackle on Sid Domic by Neil Baynes.
But the visitors drew level with a Steve Blakeley penalty and then edged into the lead at the interval with a an Ian Watson drop goal.
Warrington regained the lead in the 50th minute with another Briers penalty after Ben Westwood had the ball stolen.
On loan Danny Halliwell brought daylight between the teams when he latched onto a Blakeley pass and raced nearly the full length of the field to score under the sticks. Briers added the two to make it 10-3.
But almst immediately Salford hit back when Baynes crashed over from a quick tap penalty and Blakeley added the conversion to make it 10-9.
Briers then extended Warrington's lead with a penalty after being pulled back while chasing his own kick. Both teams had tries disallowed in a frantic closing quarter and it wasn't until Briers slipped htrough a gap in the last minute that the Wolves could breathe easy.
After the match Wolves Coach David Plange admitted he was relieved to hear the final hooter.
"It was very tense to watch but it was vital we gained the two points.
By Sports staff
WARRINGTON Wolves Coach David Plange has pledged to investigate "what went wrong" after his team capitulated in the second half a home to Hull.
Leading 14-6 at the interval Warrington looked in total control.
But starting the second half without the influential Lee Briers, who had complianed of feeling unwell at the break, Warrington totally imploded as the visitors rattled up 36 points without reply.
Briers bravely re-entered the fray as things went from bad to worse, but clearly feeling under the weather he couldn't steady a sinking ship.
After the match a furious Plange said: "I was very disappointed after we had put in so much effort and commitment in the first half.
"There was no excuse for the way we capitulated. I will be looking at the video closely to try and remedy the situation."
Whatever Hull Coach Shaun McRae said to his team at half time certainly did the trick - but to be fair the tell tale signs were there in he first half, as the visitors had three tries ruled out by the video referee.
If Hull had got their act together with their finishing they would have been leading at the interval.
They were also rocked by the loss of their skipper Jason Smith after just three minutes when he received a head injury attempting to tackle Nick Fozzard.
The loss clearly unsettled the visitors.
Two first half tries from Ben Westwood and three goals from Briers gave the Warrington a platform to build on but once Hull got on a roll in the second half the Wolves had no fuel left in the tank.
With Wakefield pulling off a shock victory at London and Salford only losing by the odd point at Leeds, Warrington are still a long way from being out of the woods in their bid to avoid relegation.
By Gary Skentelbery
WARRINGTON Wolves face the REAL threat of relegation after yet more humilation at Knowsley Road.
Club captain Lee Briers will be glad he missed this encounter with his former club due to a virus as his team mates produced a totally inept performance like lambs to the slaughter.
The writing was already on the wall before Jerome Guisset was dismissed for a head high tackle on flying winger Anthony Stewart in the 25th minute. The Wolves were already trailing 6-2 after man-of-the-match Darren Albert had scored the first of his three tries.
The Saints had already ripped through the Wolves paper thin defence on several occasions and the dismissal of Guisset just made their mission a little easier.
Four more tries before the break and the game was over as a contest and Warrington were left attempting a damage limitation exercise - and failed miserably!
Whatever Coach David Plange said at the interval didn't work and some of the Warrington players didn't even wear their shirts with pride. St Helens, who were bouncing back after defeat at arch-rivals Wigan and playing their third game in nine days, completed the slaughter in style running in a total of 13 unanswered tries. Former Warrington star Paul Sculthorpe finished the rout and ended the game with a personal points tally of 24 points.
He will be glad he moved on from Warrington when he did and now current skipper Lee Briers, who is in contract talks with the club, will be thinking long and hard about signing for a club which could be in the Northern Ford next season.
It was Warrington's heaviest defeat of the season and was no better than the 80-0 drubbing in the old Regal Trophy which signalled the end of former Coach Brian Johnson, who graciously fell on his sword after the match.
Dejected Plange said after the game that it was one of his worst experiences in seven years of coaching - are their any worse! He said: "I've seen teams dig in when they have a player sent off but some of our players seemed to use that as an excuse.
"We needed to show more character than we did. We will have to have a heart-to-heart with each of the players this week and we can only help ourselves."
Sky commentator Mike "Stevo" Stevens said in the sponsors lounge after the match: "This was a tragedy for Rugby League when you see a club like Warrington capitulate like that. They were woeful."
PRESSURE is mounting on Warrington Wolves' Coach David Plange following yet another woeful performance.
It was a game Warrington needed to win to ease their relegation fears but they failed to come up with the goods in a match which was there for the taking.
As it was they were 14 points down in as many minutes as both teams struggled to cope with the wet conditions.
Warrington old boy Michael Eager took just four minutes to show his former team mates what they were missing with Wayne Bartrim booting the first of his three conversions before the break.
It went from bad to worse as Lee Briers booted the ball out on the full from the re-start allowing Bartrim to extend the lead.
Briers got Warrington off the mark with a penalty and just before half-time Nathan Wood scored to give the Wolves some hope.
Wood had a try disallowed for off-side and the Tigers then took charge when Danny Orr scampered over.
Warrington gave it their last throw of the dice as Briers dummied his way over but he then missed the simple conversion attempt.
Orr was then wide with a drop goal attempt before Castleford clinched the match in the last minute when youngster Wayne Godwin went over from dummy half.
Assistant Coach Paul Darbyshire said: "There was a lack of cohesion and we ended up playing up the middle instead of moving the ball to the wings.
"Castleford were there for the taking but we played too cautiously and turned a lot of ball over. We were frightened to try things and had to keep working to remedy our deficiencies."Fortunately for Warrington bottom club Salford went down 26-19 at London after leading 11-9 at the break.
By Gary Skentelbery
NEW Coach Paul Cullen put on a brave face as he saw Warrington drop deeper into the relegation dogfight as they were pipped at the post by arch-rivals Widnes.
It was the third time this season the Wolves fans have endured defeat at the hands of the Super League newcomers - and the third time the Wolves could and should have won.
But as it was a drop goal six minutes from time denied Warrington what should have been a deserved share of the spoils.
Three times Widnes crossed for tries and three times Warrington responded.
But the sin binning of full-back Lee Penny for holding down Phil Cantillon after making a try saving tackle, the sending off of Ben Westwood for a head high tackle on Paul Atcheson and half-back Lee briers missing a simple kick at goal, all proved too much for Warrington.
But Cullen was impressed with his side's effort and said: "The players gave the response I wanted but we didn't get the right result.
"We just have to start concentrating on improving our performances. We operate a no-excuse policy and got what we deserved. "A couple of calls went for us and a couple against but I was pleased with the commitment."
Jerome Guisset did not deserve to be on the losing side as he scored two of Warrington's three tries, the other coming from winger Rob Smyth after a clever chip kick by Briers.
But if Warrington can continue to show the same level of commitment they should be able to pick up a couple of crucial victories before the end of the season.
By Sports staff
DESPITE an early try from centre Sid Domic, the Wolves failed to make any real impression during their 18-40 defeat at the hands of Wigan.
Warrington lost Domic after 16 minutes with a knee strain and Darren Burns was moved to centre.
Some quality rugby from the Warriors enabled them to take control of the game and two tries from hooker, Terry Newton, helped them take a 24-12 lead into the second half.
Kris Radlinski made his 99th Super League try after returning from injury.
Paul Cullen, commenting on the match, his first home tie as coach, said: "We lost a bit of shape after moving Darren Burns to centre, but we have plenty to build on. As a team we need to take confidence from the start we had."
By Gary Skentelbery
WOLVES showed some of the metal they are going to need if they are to ensure Super League rugby for next season, claiming victory in a tight game with relegation rivals Halifax, at the Shay.
Lee Briers opened the scoring with a penalty after Halifax skipper Brett Goldspink made a high challenge on Nathan Wood. Halifax levelled the score with a penalty from Jamie Bloem, after Wolves strayed offside.
Wolves restored their lead with Briers converting his own close range try, but again Halifax came back with a try on 35 minutes and just on half time they pinched the lead with a Shayne McMenemy effort.
Halifax’s lead was short-lived however, another penalty from Briers, just a couple of minutes into the second half saw the scores levelled and almost immediately after the restart Darren Burns touched down with Briers converting.
A further penalty from an inspirational Briers saw the Wolves extend their lead and despite Paul Davidson going over for Halifax in the dying minutes, Wolves hung on for a much need victory.
COACH Paul Cullen was "delighted" as Warrington secured their Super League future with an emphatic victory over top six chasing Castleford Tigers.
But he still believes there is plenty of room for improvement and is demanding more "meanness" from his troops.
"I am absolutely delighted with the result, although there are aspects of our game we seriously need to improve on," he said.
"But if we come up with that meanness that we need, which was there is patches today, there is more to come from this Warrington side.
"Mathematically it's done and dusted now but the message to the Warrington players is that we can't roll over now in our final two games of the season. We have got up off the canvas and knocked over a good team in Castleford and there is evidence the spirit has returned to Wilderspool." The Wolves got off to a flying start with the first try coming from man-of-the-match Darren Burns after just two minutes, quickly followed by Graham Appo, with Lee Briers converting both and then adding a penalty to make it 14-0.
The Wolves briefly showed they were still capable of falling back into their old ways as the Tigers, unbeaten in their last five games, clawed back two tries through Wayne Price and Michael Eager to make it 14-8 at the break.
Scoring first in the second half was crucial for the Wolves and they took full advantage of Ryan Hudson's sin binning when Appo grabbed his second coverted try, quickly followed by hooker Jon Clarke, who finished off a sparkling break by Briers who converted to make it 24-8.
Two further Briers penalties and a drop goal saw the Wolves home as Eager's second try late on in the game was little consolation for the visitors.
With Salford also losing at home to Halifax it helped secure Warrington's Super League future.
A complete round up of the Wolves' 2002 Super League campaign
Warrington Wolves 30 Halifax Blue Sox 22
Wolves dramatic
fight back
by Gary Skentelbery
WARRINGTON Wolves staged a tremendous second half-fight back to clinch a dramatic winning start to Super League Seven.
The Wolves looked dead and buried as they trailed Halifax Blue Sox 0-16 at the break.
They surrendered far too much possession as the visitors raced in for three tries without reply.
But Performance Director Steve Anderson clearly read the riot act at the interval as the Wolves looked like a different team.
It took just three minutes of the new half for Warrington to breach the Halifax defence after Lee Briers had found touch with a 40-20 kick to give his side head and feed.
From the scrum skipper Matt Rodwell worked a move to race in unopposed behind the sticks. With Briers lying outstretched receiving treatment Rob Smyth added the two to make it 6-16.
The Wolves looked meaner and sharper and were soon back in the game as Sid Domic broke clear to feed the supporting Smyth who went in for a classic wingers try down the touchline. Briers landed a great conversion to make it 12-16.
But the visitors hit back as Darryl Cardiss grabbed his second try of the afternoon and Karl Hammond added the two to make it 12-22.
But the Wolves stuck to their task and with the clock ticking away Dean Busby broke and fed the supporting Rodwell who went over for his second try. Briers made no mistake to close the gap to just four points.
The impressive Dale Cardoza gave the Wolves the lead for the first time in the 72nd minute after a strong run and Briers added the conversion to make it 24-22.
Halifax mounted a concerted effort and had the Wolves pegged on their own line for 18 consecutive tackles but the defence held firm.
In the final minute Centre David Kidwell intercepted on half way to clinch a memorable victory.
Warrington Wolves 28 Leeds Rhinos 50
Wolves run
out of steam
By Sports staff
WARRINGTON Wolves again failed to compete for the full 80 minutes as they ran out of steam against Leeds Rhinos.
In a pulsating match which saw the lead change hands four times, Leeds eventually proved too strong against a Warrington sidewhich could not be faulted for effort
But their must be a question mark against the Wolves' fitness.
They got off to the best possible start when Rob Smyth scored after just three minutes following a towering Lee Briers 'bomb.'
Briers converted from the touchline but the Rhinos were quick to respond as they forced a drop out and then hit back with Andy Hay sending Senior over.
The video official was then called into action to rule out a try for either side as the game continued to flow from end to end.
Warrington's Steve Maden was the first to fall foul of the video ref before Chev Walker was disappointed at the other end.
But the Rhinos did not have long to wait before a replay decision went in their favour as Senior was adjudged to have correctly grounded a high Ben Walker kick.
Both sides quickly exchanged tries. Briers first intercepted Ben Walker to dart through and convert to level at 12-12 before the Wolves sat back and allowed Ryan Sheridan to waltz through.
Leeds then added another for good measure before the break when a length-of-the-field break by forward Wayne McDonald set up Francis Cummins.
Warrington roared back with two tries soon after the restart. Alstead got the first when he charged through a melee of players but it was no surprise that the ref referred the decision upstairs before awarding the try.
Ganson's tough night then continued as in trying to keep pace with the game he prevented Rob Burrow getting in a tackle on Domic allowing the utility man to run under the posts.
Briers converted to level the scores but in keeping with the game, Leeds responded by returning the ball to the other end and scoring.
A long Ben Walker pass allowed Hay to continue his fine try scoring start to the season and Burrows then gave Leeds a decisive edge when he jinked his way through for a superb individual four-pointer.
But Warrington were not done and were again denied by slow motion review as Paul Marquet was ruled to have been stopped inches short of the line.
Seconds later it was all over as St Hilaire galloped down an open touchline to score and set up another simple Walker kick.
St Hilaire then added another when he twisted his way in for a second moments later.
Briers then grabbed a consolation but Leeds rubbed salt into the wounds by bringing up the half-century when Adrian Vowles' drop goal attempt from the halfway line in the last minute rebounded off an upright and Willie Poching gathered to score.
Salford City Reds 31 Warrington Wolves 18
Wolves fade
after bright start
By Gary Skentelbery
AFTER a promising start Warrington Wolves again capitulated as Salford lifted themselves off the bottom of Super League as they came from behind three times to secure their first win of the season.
Tries from Danny Arnold and Darren Treacy in the last quarter settled the game in the Reds' favour after Warrington had failed to capitalise on a bright start at The Willows.
Sid Domic followed up his try in last week's Wilderspool defeat by Leeds with another to hand the Wolves an early lead but the Reds hit back through Darren Shaw.
Mark Hilton restored the Wolves' advantage on 22 minutes with Lee Briers adding his second conversion but Salford again responded to send Damian Gibson over.
Bobbie Goulding, often a thorn in Warrington's side, added the extras to tie the scores at 12-12 going into the break.
There was little between the sides but the visitors managed to muscle themselves back in front after the restart when Kevin Crouthers touched down.
Yet the Wolves could not kill off the game and allowed Salford back into the game through Nick Pinkney.
Arnold then put the Reds ahead for the first time with Goulding converting and adding a drop goal before Treacy sealed the points in the dying moments.
Warrington Wolves 14 Widnes Vikings 20
McCurrie returns to
haunt Wolves
by Gary Skentelbery
WARRINGTON Wolves "reject" Steve McCurrie came back to haunt his former club as Widnes Vikings continued their impressive start to Super League.
But the defeat saw the rocky Wolves left reeling joint bottom of the Super League following their fourth consecutive defeat.
After Warrington had hauled themselves back into the game with two second half tries from Sid Domic and Rob Smyth, the Vikings scored two late tries for a memorable victory.
Yet again the Wolves defence crumbled in the closing stages as McCurrie grabbed the match winning try with just five minutes left on the clock.
The try must have tasted sweet for McCurrie who was shown the door by the new Wolves regime at the end of last season, re-joining the club where he made his name.
Not surprisingly McCurrie had a big game, alongside Craig Weston, who was also shown the door at Wilderspool at the start of the season, after refusing to leave his Yorkshire home to settle in the town.
Widnes started the brighter with half-back Steve Carter grabbing the opening try early on after snatching the ball and racing clear under the sticks - much to the amazement of the startled Warrington players who were expecting a penalty which never came.
One of Warrington's shining lights, hooker Jon Clarke levelled the scores as the teams were locked 6-6 at the break.
Warrington looked to have done enough to gain a much-needed victory in one of their "must win matches" if they ever had hopes of making the play-offs.
But as they opened up a 14-6 lead the Vikings had other ideas as Percival and then McCurrie grabbed killer tries.
After consecutive defeats to Bradford, Leeds, Salford and now Widnes, Warrington look like facing a relegation dog fight instead of a top six play-of place.
Warrington face a make or break trip to Wakefield on Sunday, with the losers being left alone at the foot of the table.
With a visit to Wigan the following Friday, it wont get any easier!
Wakefield Wildcats 32 Warrington Wolves 20
Rock bottom!
By Sports staff
WARRINGTON Wolves reached rock bottom at the foot of Super League as they slumped 32-20 at fellow strugglers Wakefield Wildcats.
In a match both teams were desperate to win, Wakefield finished the stronger as they condemned the Wolves to their 5th consecutive defeat.
After the match Warrington's performance director Steve Anderson was still upbeat saying: "In the first half we had losses and used up all our bench.
"All we had left was the blood bin - and the players just ran out of steam.
"The injuries affected us towards the back end of the game. But its still early in the season and I am pleased with the way the kids are going."
Stand-off Graham Law inspired the Wildcats to victory with two tries and he also landed six successful kicks from as many attempts.
It took just four minutes for the home side to score when scrum-half Nathan Wood split open the defence.
Warrington hit back through Sid Domic who scored after 15 minutes, making amends for an earlier miss.
The Wolves looked to have the upper hand until Wildcat's hooker David March broke in cnetre of field to feed Wood for his second try, followed soon afterwards by Gareth Ellis.
Wakefield were given a wake up call two minutes into the second half as Dean Busby went over but then the Wolves' fumbled on 54 minutes allowing Damon Keating to score to make it 24-10.
Back came Warrington as winger Rob Smyth scored a sensational 60 yards solo try and then Darren Burns kicked through for his sides 4th try.
Lee Briers converted to bring Warrington within a try score but Law then landed a penalty four minutes from time.
In the final seconds Martyn Holland stole the ball from Briers to seal Warrington's fate.
Most worrying for Warrington is they have now been beaten by all the sides considered to be strugglers - with their next match being Wigan away on Friday.
Wigan 58 Warrington 4
Wolves no match for
rampant Warriors
ONLY the most optimistic of Wolves supporters could have expected to come away from Wigan with a victory.
But equally, the pessimists would have hoped for something better than the 10-try rout the Wolves suffered.
Full-back Lee Penny scored Warrington's only try after 19 minutes on his return from a broken hand. But any joy this brought was short-lived as he went off in obvious pain, clutching his right wrist. He subsequently went to hospital for X-rays.
Wigan were without six members of their likely Challenge Cup final team, but even so they brushed aside Wolves' pathetic challenge.
It was Warrington's sixth successive defeat and left them firmly rooted at the foot of the Super League.
Wolves will have to do much, much better than this if they are to survive in the top flight. A new stadium will not make them play better.
There were obvious deficiencies in defence which flattered Wigan who were themselves trying to forget successive defeats at the hands of St Helens and Hull.
The Warriors will meet much tougher opposition than Wolves were able to provide but, worryingly for Wolves' fans, so will Warrington.
Warringotn Wolves 14 London Broncos 28
Wolves face
the drop!
by Gary Skentelbery
JUST eight games into the season and Warrington Wolves are staring relegation in the face for the first time in the club's proud history.
London Broncos recorded their first Super League win of the season away from their Griffin Park home as they piled the pressure on haplass Warrington.
The Wolves showed plenty of fighting spirit - perhaps a little too much, as both Dale Laughton and Leory Rivett spent 10 minutes in the sin bin, alongside London pair Jim Dymock and Richie Barnett, for fisticuffs.
Clearly lacking confidence following their recent 10 try demolition at Wigan, Warrington managed a bright start, which faded fast.
The Broncos were soon 8-2 in the lead although Warrington levelled when Rob Smyth raced in against his former club.
However the visitors restored their lead just before the break when Steele Retchless raced on to Dymock's grubber kick, with Tony Martin adding his his second conversion on top of two earlier penalities to make it 8-16 at the break.
Briers had a chance to claw back some points at the start of the second half but was wide with his third effort from five and when Jason Heatherinton and Russell Bawden scored in the closing quarter it was all over for the Wolves.
The impressive Nick Fozzard, he gave a 110 per cent and didn't deserve to be on the losing side, claimed a late consolation try for the Wolves.
But with a daunting trip to Hull at the weekend, followed by the visit of St Helens, it is difficult to see where Warrington's next win is coming from as they remain rooted to the foot of the league.
Hull 16 Warrington 19
Wolves turn form
book upside down
WARRINGTON Wolves turned the form book upside down with an impressive victory at Hull.
Seven straight defeats and without a win since the opening day of the season, Warrington produced one of the shocks of the season against a team bidding to go second in the table.
Winger Leroy Rivett set the Wolves on their way with an opportunist try in the 13th minute, which put Warrington in great heart as they were inspired by half back Matt Rodwell and Lee Briers.
Former Wolves favourite Toa Kohe-Love levelled the scores before Briers weighed in with a penalty and three drop goals to open up a 6-11 lead.
Rodwell extended the lead when he followed up his own kick and although Chris Chester kept the home side in touch Briers went 80 metres for an interception try which set the travelling fans rejoicing.
Head Coach David Plange was delighted with the victory and said: "It might not have been pretty but it was a great result.
"We have taken some stick recently but the players showed real commitment and they deserved their win."
Hull boss Shaun McRae added: "We were beaten by the better side. They were more enthusiastic and they controlled the game and controlled us.
"It' a disappointing defeat but I have to say Warrington deserved it."
Warrington Wolves 36 St Helens 44
Wolves show
fighting spirit
By Gary Skentelbery
WARRINGTON Wolves showed plenty of fighting spirit in a Wilderspool points bonanaza with St Helens as they bounced back from a possible massacre.
Trailing 0-28 in as many minutes and 12-44 early in the second half the Wolves managed to dig deep with a stunning fightback as they clawed back four tries without response to set up a grandstand finish.
If it hadn't been for a spell in the first half when Saints raced in for five tries in a stunning 15 minute spell, the Wolves may have pulled of a famous victory.
As it was they almost pulled off one of the greatest fightbacks of all time.
Saints were mising five regular first teamers, including half-backs Sean Long and Tommy Martyn, but they still ouzed class.
After a bright opening Warrington made the mistake of allowing Saints to run with the ball and they had no answer to the visiotrs electrifying pace.
An interception ry from Lee Briers and a close range effort from hooker Jon Clarke signalled the start of a possible comeback.
But when the visotrs scored either side of the interval it looked all over for the Wolves.
But young scrum-half Gary Hulse came on for skipper Matt Rodwell and instantly made a difference.
Another substitute, Paul Wood, finished off a weaving run followed by full-back David Alstead. Briers then fashioned tries for winger Rob Smyth and the on-loan Halliwell, to set up a grand stand finish.
But Saints managed to hang on.
Head Coach David Plange took heart form his sides rallying finish.
"St Helens played champagne football in the first half and it is very difficult to defend against.
"But we set ourselves goals for the second hal and we went out and earned respect. A few weeks ago if we had gone in at half time with a scoreline like that things could have gone horibly wrong. But the players showed a committed performance in the second half and showed they have character."
Castleford Tigers 46 Warrington 24
Wolves savaged at
the Jungle
By Sports staff
WARRINGTON suffered an eight try hammering at the Jungle but managed to move up a place in the table on points difference after fellow strugglers Wakefield were hammered by St Helens.
The only positive to come out of Warrington's defeat was the inspired form of half-back Lee Briers who scored a fine solo try and landed six goals as he watched his team mates struggle.
Trailing 22-10 at the break Warrington started the second half brightly.
Briers landed a penalty and then put fellow half-back Gary Hulse through to an open line but the youngster failed to hold the ball with the line at his mercy.
The Tigers punished Warrington for their miss as Prop Andy Lynch crashed over. When substitute John Wells scored again six minutes later the game was over as a contest.
Late efforts from substitute Tommy O'Reilley, who was put through by new signing Graham Appo and a try for Darren Burns provided the Wolves with a late rally.
Assistant Coach Paul Darbyshire said: "I thought our first half performance was unacceptable and our players were made aware of that at half-time.
"I thought the players responded at the opening of the second half but we came up with too many unforced errors allowing the pressure off the opposition.
"There are always positives to come out of it and we got within striking distance but we can't afford to keep giving teams 15-20 points start."
Halifax Blue Sox 16 Warrington Wolves 11
Briers in record
breaking heartbreaker!
By Gary Skentelbery
A LAST gasp blunder by half-back Lee Briers on an evening when he should have been celebrating a new Super League record cost Warrington Wolves the chance of a much-needed victory.
Clinging on to a slim 10-11 lead after Briers had booted his way into the record books with five drop goals he kicked out on the full allowing Halifax one last chance to attack.
With literally seconds left on the clock former Wigan winger Daryl Cardiss broke Warrington's hearts with a last gasp try.
Warrington could not be faulted for effort and commitment as they put their bodies on the line.
But with a number of walking wounded swelling their ranks they could not hang on for the victory they deserved.
Briers would have probably been man-of-the match if it hadn't been for his last minute blunder.
Although the match was not the finest spectacle in the world the grand stand finish provided plenty of excitement as well as heartbreak for Briers and his team mates.
The young half-back sank to his knees in despair at the final hooter as he realised his reckless kick had cost his team dear.
Warrington led 0-10 after an hour, thanks to a try from the on-loan Halliwell against his former team mates.
Little seemed to be going right for Halifax who had three tries ruled out by the vieo referee, although Warrington also had there fair share of chances, with two players being held up over the line.
But the Blue Sox kept chipping away at the Wolves' lead, eventually gaining the ultimate reward in the final seconds.
With fellow strugglers Wakefield winning at Castleford, Warrington are now locked in a relegation dog fight with Salford.
Warrington 12 Bradford Bulls 40
Wolves show character
- but go down again
By Sports staff
WARRINGTON showed considerable character and some second-half skills against Super League leaders Bradford Bulls at Wilderspool.
The score-line tells only of another heavy defeat for the struggling Wolves, but in fact they fought hard after a disappointing first half which left them 30-6 down at the interval.
Even Bradford coach Brian Noble was gracious enough to praise the Warrington side and predicted that with a couple of signings they could make a big improvement."
The Bulls had too much pace and class for Wolves. They took the lead after only two minutes and although Warrington drew level after seven minutes when Paul Wood crossed, in truth they did not look in the same class.
After 14 minutes the Bulls were leading 18-6 and could have gone further ahead but for a try being disallowed for a forward pass.
Warrington showed more spirit after the interval and David Alstad went over after 55 minutes, with Jon Clarke converting after Lee Briers had gone off.
Bradford scored two more tries, however, to reinforce their superiority.
Afterwards, Wolves' assistant coach Gary Chamers said Warrington had quite a few positives to take hope from. But he accepted that no side could afford to give the Bulls such a good start.
"We didn't do too well in the first half" he admitted wryly.
Warrington Wolves 24 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 12
Wolves snatch
vital victory
By Gary Skentelbery
IT was never going to be pretty but Warrington snatched a vital victory over fellow strugglers Wakefield in a hard fought clash at Wilderspool.
It wasn't until the last minute that Warrington secured victory when on-loan Danny Halliwell swooped on a loose ball and raced 40 metres for his second touchdown.
It was Trinity who started the brighter when winger Neil Law raced in unopposed after a neat kick from Martin Moana to make it 0-4 to the visitors.
Halliwell then put the Wolves level with his first try and Rob Smyth landed the conversion to make it 6-4 to the Wolves.
But Wakefield drew level at the break when Briers dropped out on the full from under his own sticks to allow Graham Law to land the penalty.
Two tries in 10 minutes from Sid Domic and man-of-the-match Jon Clarke should have been enough to put Warrington in command at 18-6 but they failed to kill off the game and when Brad Davis scored on the hour a real battle ensued for the last 20 minutes.
It wasn't until Halliwell scored with a last gasp effort that it secured a much-needed victory which moved Warrington above Wakefield on points
London Broncos 30 Warrington Wolves 18
Wolves wilt
in the heat
By Gary Skentelbery
DESPITE two tries from new signing Ben Westwood Warrington wilted in the Carcassone heat in Southern France.
The Wolves missed out on the opportunity of pulling away from the relegation zone after taking an early lead through a Lee Briers penalty.
But playing in a 100 degrees London adapted better to the conditions in their "home" game and after equalising through a Tony Martin penalty they took a lead they never gave up when Jim Dymock went over.
Scrum-half Dennis Moran, who had a hand in the first try then went on a 95 metre break to score to make it 14-2 after half an hour.
Westwood reduced the arrears with his first try but then early in the second half Nigel Roy capitalised on a blunder by Rob Smyth to open up a 14 point gap again.
Briers threw the Wolves a lifeline with a fine try but Warrington again let it slip when Steve Hall went in at the corner.
Back came the Wolves with Westwood's second try but then with just six minutes left on the clock London made sure of the points with an 80 metres dash down the right wing by Paul Sykes.
Warrington Wolves 16 Wigan 41
Wolves punished
for errors
By Sports staff
A BRIGHT start followed by the opposition scoring at will and then a rousing fight back - sound familiar?
Warrington don't seem to be learning any lessons because when they do put their minds to it they can compete with the best.
But giving a team like Wigan a 29 point start is just too big a hurdle to overcome.
And whatever anyone says about a gutsy fightback and never giving in, there are some serious weaknesses in the Warrington team with some players clearly not up to Super League standard.
Once Wigan got up steam the Warrington defence was nothing short of pathetic and unless some big decisions are taken, Warrington could find themselves in for the drop.
Warrington's cause was not helped by Salford pulling of a shock victory at Widnes which leaves the Wolves joint bottom.
After going 29 points behind early in the second half Warrington did give their loyal fans something to shout about.
Tries from Halliwell, Wood and Noone, the latter two making a big impact after coming off the bench, gave the Wolves some hope and if another try had not been ruled out by the video ref the comeback of all comebacks could have been on the cards.
That decision against the Wolves signalled Wigan's wake up call with two late tries.
After the match Warrington's coach David Plange said: "Wigan punished us very heavily for our errors and that is an area we have to work on.
"But I was pleased with our second half performance as it was a vastly improved."
Leeds Rhinos 22 Warrington Wolves 23
Wolves triumph
in dying seconds
By Gary Skentelbery
WARRINGTON Wolves pulled off an unexpected victory at Leeds with an 80th minute drop goal from Lee Briers.
The last gasp goal sank a Leeds team which had dominated in the early stages but flagged as the game went on.
Briers was Wolves' hero, tormenting the home side with clever kicking and inspirational moves.
After the game he said: "We never gave in and we knew when we got it back to 22-12 we could make up the 10 points.
"Leeds are well known as front-runners but they got a fright at Wakefield last week and we thought we had a chance."
Briers said the victory would be a big psychological boost for Wolves.
One factor in Warrington's victory could well have been the fact that five of the Leeds side are members of the Great Britain party travelling to Australia for the one-off Test.
A disappointed Leeds coach Daryl Powell commented: "A couple of our blokes looked like they were already on the plane in the second half.
"But you've got 13 blokes out there not just the five and we had plenty of experienced people who should have been able to finish off the game."
It was Wolves' first win at Headingley since the open day of Super League in march 1996.
Widnes Vikings 24 Warrington Wolves 18
Widnes put the
boot in
By Sports staff
AN off kicking day for Lee Briers cost Warrington Wolves as neighbours Widnes recorded a league double.
Warrington showed plenty of commitment as they matched Widnes on the try scoring front.
But Briers missed some crucial kicks which assistant coach Gary Chambers admitted had "taken their toll" on the team.
Warrington held a slender 12-14 lead at the interval in a classic "tit for tat" derby.
While Jerome Guisset touched down twice and Danny Halliwell latched on to a kick to claim Warrington's three first half tries, Briers was only able to convert one.
The Vikings' first half points came through tries by Stuart Spruce and Gareth Haggerty with Barry Eaton landing two goals.
Widnes were on level terms two minutes into the second half when Eaton landed a penalty and then re-took the lead when Adam Hughes touched down Craig Weston's kick to make it 18-14.
Warrington drew level 12 minutes from time when a break by Darren Burns released Nathan Wood to sprint 40 metres to score. But Briers was again off target.
The Vikings edged back in front with a Hughes penalty and then Spruce popped up for the match winning try.
Defeat leaves Warrington well and truly in the relegation dog fight and facing a massive game with Salford at Wilderspool on Sunday.
Warrington Wolves 18 Salford 9
Wolves ease their
relegation fears
By Gary Skentelbery
RELIEVED Warrington Wolves eased their relegation fears with a hard earned 18-9 victory over fellow strugglers Salford at Wilderspool.
A last minute try from half-back Lee Briers finally killed off the visitors in a tense affair.
Briers had given the Wolves an early lead following a high tackle on Sid Domic by Neil Baynes.
But the visitors drew level with a Steve Blakeley penalty and then edged into the lead at the interval with a an Ian Watson drop goal.
Warrington regained the lead in the 50th minute with another Briers penalty after Ben Westwood had the ball stolen.
On loan Danny Halliwell brought daylight between the teams when he latched onto a Blakeley pass and raced nearly the full length of the field to score under the sticks. Briers added the two to make it 10-3.
But almst immediately Salford hit back when Baynes crashed over from a quick tap penalty and Blakeley added the conversion to make it 10-9.
Briers then extended Warrington's lead with a penalty after being pulled back while chasing his own kick. Both teams had tries disallowed in a frantic closing quarter and it wasn't until Briers slipped htrough a gap in the last minute that the Wolves could breathe easy.
After the match Wolves Coach David Plange admitted he was relieved to hear the final hooter.
"It was very tense to watch but it was vital we gained the two points.
Warrington Wolves 14 Hull 42
What went wrong?
By Sports staff
WARRINGTON Wolves Coach David Plange has pledged to investigate "what went wrong" after his team capitulated in the second half a home to Hull.
Leading 14-6 at the interval Warrington looked in total control.
But starting the second half without the influential Lee Briers, who had complianed of feeling unwell at the break, Warrington totally imploded as the visitors rattled up 36 points without reply.
Briers bravely re-entered the fray as things went from bad to worse, but clearly feeling under the weather he couldn't steady a sinking ship.
After the match a furious Plange said: "I was very disappointed after we had put in so much effort and commitment in the first half.
"There was no excuse for the way we capitulated. I will be looking at the video closely to try and remedy the situation."
Whatever Hull Coach Shaun McRae said to his team at half time certainly did the trick - but to be fair the tell tale signs were there in he first half, as the visitors had three tries ruled out by the video referee.
If Hull had got their act together with their finishing they would have been leading at the interval.
They were also rocked by the loss of their skipper Jason Smith after just three minutes when he received a head injury attempting to tackle Nick Fozzard.
The loss clearly unsettled the visitors.
Two first half tries from Ben Westwood and three goals from Briers gave the Warrington a platform to build on but once Hull got on a roll in the second half the Wolves had no fuel left in the tank.
With Wakefield pulling off a shock victory at London and Salford only losing by the odd point at Leeds, Warrington are still a long way from being out of the woods in their bid to avoid relegation.
St Helens 72 Warrington Wolves 2
Wolves are lambs
to the slaughter
By Gary Skentelbery
WARRINGTON Wolves face the REAL threat of relegation after yet more humilation at Knowsley Road.
Club captain Lee Briers will be glad he missed this encounter with his former club due to a virus as his team mates produced a totally inept performance like lambs to the slaughter.
The writing was already on the wall before Jerome Guisset was dismissed for a head high tackle on flying winger Anthony Stewart in the 25th minute. The Wolves were already trailing 6-2 after man-of-the-match Darren Albert had scored the first of his three tries.
The Saints had already ripped through the Wolves paper thin defence on several occasions and the dismissal of Guisset just made their mission a little easier.
Four more tries before the break and the game was over as a contest and Warrington were left attempting a damage limitation exercise - and failed miserably!
Whatever Coach David Plange said at the interval didn't work and some of the Warrington players didn't even wear their shirts with pride. St Helens, who were bouncing back after defeat at arch-rivals Wigan and playing their third game in nine days, completed the slaughter in style running in a total of 13 unanswered tries. Former Warrington star Paul Sculthorpe finished the rout and ended the game with a personal points tally of 24 points.
He will be glad he moved on from Warrington when he did and now current skipper Lee Briers, who is in contract talks with the club, will be thinking long and hard about signing for a club which could be in the Northern Ford next season.
It was Warrington's heaviest defeat of the season and was no better than the 80-0 drubbing in the old Regal Trophy which signalled the end of former Coach Brian Johnson, who graciously fell on his sword after the match.
Dejected Plange said after the game that it was one of his worst experiences in seven years of coaching - are their any worse! He said: "I've seen teams dig in when they have a player sent off but some of our players seemed to use that as an excuse.
"We needed to show more character than we did. We will have to have a heart-to-heart with each of the players this week and we can only help ourselves."
Sky commentator Mike "Stevo" Stevens said in the sponsors lounge after the match: "This was a tragedy for Rugby League when you see a club like Warrington capitulate like that. They were woeful."
Warrington Wolves 12 Castleford Tigers 24
Pressure mounts
on Plange
by Gary Skentelbery
PRESSURE is mounting on Warrington Wolves' Coach David Plange following yet another woeful performance.
It was a game Warrington needed to win to ease their relegation fears but they failed to come up with the goods in a match which was there for the taking.
As it was they were 14 points down in as many minutes as both teams struggled to cope with the wet conditions.
Warrington old boy Michael Eager took just four minutes to show his former team mates what they were missing with Wayne Bartrim booting the first of his three conversions before the break.
It went from bad to worse as Lee Briers booted the ball out on the full from the re-start allowing Bartrim to extend the lead.
Briers got Warrington off the mark with a penalty and just before half-time Nathan Wood scored to give the Wolves some hope.
Wood had a try disallowed for off-side and the Tigers then took charge when Danny Orr scampered over.
Warrington gave it their last throw of the dice as Briers dummied his way over but he then missed the simple conversion attempt.
Orr was then wide with a drop goal attempt before Castleford clinched the match in the last minute when youngster Wayne Godwin went over from dummy half.
Assistant Coach Paul Darbyshire said: "There was a lack of cohesion and we ended up playing up the middle instead of moving the ball to the wings.
"Castleford were there for the taking but we played too cautiously and turned a lot of ball over. We were frightened to try things and had to keep working to remedy our deficiencies."
Widnes Vikings 19 Warrington Wolves 18
Wolves pipped
at the post!
By Gary Skentelbery
NEW Coach Paul Cullen put on a brave face as he saw Warrington drop deeper into the relegation dogfight as they were pipped at the post by arch-rivals Widnes.
It was the third time this season the Wolves fans have endured defeat at the hands of the Super League newcomers - and the third time the Wolves could and should have won.
But as it was a drop goal six minutes from time denied Warrington what should have been a deserved share of the spoils.
Three times Widnes crossed for tries and three times Warrington responded.
But the sin binning of full-back Lee Penny for holding down Phil Cantillon after making a try saving tackle, the sending off of Ben Westwood for a head high tackle on Paul Atcheson and half-back Lee briers missing a simple kick at goal, all proved too much for Warrington.
But Cullen was impressed with his side's effort and said: "The players gave the response I wanted but we didn't get the right result.
"We just have to start concentrating on improving our performances. We operate a no-excuse policy and got what we deserved. "A couple of calls went for us and a couple against but I was pleased with the commitment."
Jerome Guisset did not deserve to be on the losing side as he scored two of Warrington's three tries, the other coming from winger Rob Smyth after a clever chip kick by Briers.
But if Warrington can continue to show the same level of commitment they should be able to pick up a couple of crucial victories before the end of the season.
Warrington Wolves 18 Wigan 40
Warriors just too good
By Sports staff
DESPITE an early try from centre Sid Domic, the Wolves failed to make any real impression during their 18-40 defeat at the hands of Wigan.
Warrington lost Domic after 16 minutes with a knee strain and Darren Burns was moved to centre.
Some quality rugby from the Warriors enabled them to take control of the game and two tries from hooker, Terry Newton, helped them take a 24-12 lead into the second half.
Kris Radlinski made his 99th Super League try after returning from injury.
Paul Cullen, commenting on the match, his first home tie as coach, said: "We lost a bit of shape after moving Darren Burns to centre, but we have plenty to build on. As a team we need to take confidence from the start we had."
Halifax 16 Warrington Wolves 19
Inspirational Briers seals
Wolves victory!
By Gary Skentelbery
WOLVES showed some of the metal they are going to need if they are to ensure Super League rugby for next season, claiming victory in a tight game with relegation rivals Halifax, at the Shay.
Lee Briers opened the scoring with a penalty after Halifax skipper Brett Goldspink made a high challenge on Nathan Wood. Halifax levelled the score with a penalty from Jamie Bloem, after Wolves strayed offside.
Wolves restored their lead with Briers converting his own close range try, but again Halifax came back with a try on 35 minutes and just on half time they pinched the lead with a Shayne McMenemy effort.
Halifax’s lead was short-lived however, another penalty from Briers, just a couple of minutes into the second half saw the scores levelled and almost immediately after the restart Darren Burns touched down with Briers converting.
A further penalty from an inspirational Briers saw the Wolves extend their lead and despite Paul Davidson going over for Halifax in the dying minutes, Wolves hung on for a much need victory.
Warrington 29 Castleford 14
Wolves staying up!
by Gary Skentelbery
COACH Paul Cullen was "delighted" as Warrington secured their Super League future with an emphatic victory over top six chasing Castleford Tigers.
But he still believes there is plenty of room for improvement and is demanding more "meanness" from his troops.
"I am absolutely delighted with the result, although there are aspects of our game we seriously need to improve on," he said.
"But if we come up with that meanness that we need, which was there is patches today, there is more to come from this Warrington side.
"Mathematically it's done and dusted now but the message to the Warrington players is that we can't roll over now in our final two games of the season. We have got up off the canvas and knocked over a good team in Castleford and there is evidence the spirit has returned to Wilderspool." The Wolves got off to a flying start with the first try coming from man-of-the-match Darren Burns after just two minutes, quickly followed by Graham Appo, with Lee Briers converting both and then adding a penalty to make it 14-0.
The Wolves briefly showed they were still capable of falling back into their old ways as the Tigers, unbeaten in their last five games, clawed back two tries through Wayne Price and Michael Eager to make it 14-8 at the break.
Scoring first in the second half was crucial for the Wolves and they took full advantage of Ryan Hudson's sin binning when Appo grabbed his second coverted try, quickly followed by hooker Jon Clarke, who finished off a sparkling break by Briers who converted to make it 24-8.
Two further Briers penalties and a drop goal saw the Wolves home as Eager's second try late on in the game was little consolation for the visitors.
With Salford also losing at home to Halifax it helped secure Warrington's Super League future.
Warrington Wolves 2 Salford City Reds 22
Slap in the face!
By Gary Skentelbery
WARRINGTON Wolves failed to show up in their final home game of the season as they let their loyal fans down.
Head Coach Paul Cullen, who now realises the size of the task ahead of him, described the performance as a "slap in the face."
With a number of Warrington "old boys" in the Salford line up, including Alan Hunte, Frances Maloney, Mike Wainwright and Paul Highton, it must have been a sweet victory for the visitors, who had to win for any chance of staying up.
Hunte rounded off the night with a superb length of the field effort, which even got a pat on the back from Wolves mascot Wolfie!
On a serious note Warrington could not break down the Salford defence and totally lacked any ideas in attack.
After the highs of beating Castleford, this was a real low.
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 50 Warrington Wolves 10
Worst ever Wolves!
By Gary Skentelbery
THE curtain finally came down on Warrington Wolves worst ever season as they were on the end of a 50-10 mauling by relegation threatened Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.
The Wildcats needed to win to stay up and with Salford losing at home to Castleford they achieved it with ease as Warrington fielded a team missing seven regulars, including skipper Lee Briers.
The match was over by half-time as the Wildcats led 24-4, with the Wolves only effort coming from Darren Burns.
Gary Hulse grabbed a late consolation effort but the rest of the match belonged to Wakefield as Adrian Vowles and Brad Davies both grabbed a hat-trick of tries.
It was a woeful end of the season for Warrington and new Coach Paul Cullen will have to ring the changes if the team wants to compete with the best in Super League.
On this showing Warrington will be favourites for the drop next season - their last at Wilderspool before moving into the new Tesco stadium.