WARRINGTON Wolves’ chances of making the Super League play-offs may be taken out of their own hands following a 18-6 defeat at home to St Helens.
Despite the defeat, it was a gutsy performance by Gary Chambers’ side, who remained in the contest right up to the hooter, when Moses Mbye crossed under the posts to give the scoreline a more one-sided look.
Daryl Clark’s try against his future employers, he will move to Saints from Warrington at the end of the season, had given the hosts hope in the second half.
They knocked on the door too, and only the typically committed Saints defence stopped them from levelling things up.
Matty Ashton was bundled in to touch off a scrum play, Ben Currie’s pass was intercepted for a certain try-saver by a falling Tommy Makinson and Danny Walker was wrapped up on the last tackle after a Wolves line break.
Without star stand-off George Williams, Warrington’s attack did look clunky at times but they managed to go toe to toe with the four-time Super League champions, who registered their eighth win in a row.
Their hard-running start eventually resulted in Curtis Sironen taking the ball over for the opening try and then Mark Percival got on the end of a lovely Saints move to score the second, with the Widnes-born centre converting both for a 12-0 lead at half time.
Clark powered through two tacklers to reach over and put the ball down for 12-6 and that gave Warrington a foothold.
Their best chance may well have come just six minutes from time, when Matty Nicholson was pulled back on a break down the right by Saints winger Jon Bennison, who was subsequently sinbinned for the professional foul.
Although there can have been no complaints about the efforts in Warrington’s performance, they will now await anxiously the result of Hull KR’s game against Salford leading in to the final game of the regular season away at Huddersfield next week.
The evening concluded with a special presentation to six players departing the club at the end of the current season.
Peter Mata’utia, Daryl Clark, Thomas Mikaele, Greg Minikin, Jack Darbyshire and Aiden Doolan were all presneted with framed shirts by club deputy chairman Steven Broomhead.
Warrington Wolves: Dufty; Russell, Wrench, Ratchford, Ashton; Hayes, Drinkwater; Mikaele, Clark, Vaughan, Currie, Nicholson, Crowther. Interchanges: Harrison, Kasiano, Philbin, Walker (Minikin).
St Helens: Welsby; Makinson, Percival, Davies, Bennison; Lomax, Dodd; Lees, Roby, Mata’utia, Sironen, Batchelor, Knowles Interchanges: McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Bell, Royle, Mbye. (Baxter).
.@WarringtonRLFC are in this thanks to @DarylClark9 🐺#SuperLeague #SLWarStH pic.twitter.com/zveUEuIuGi
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) September 15, 2023
