2016 SEASON REVIEW I Warrington Wolves
League Record
Regular Season:
Played: 23 Won: 16 Draw: 1 Lost: 6 For: 675 Against: 425 Points: 33
Super 8s:
Played: 7 Won: 5 Draw: 0 Lost: 2 For: 177 Against: 116 Points: 10
League Position
After the regular season: 2nd
After Super 8s: 1st
Player of the Year
Chris Hill
Hill has led by example this season throughout an impressive season for the Wolves. The 29-year-old, who was made captain for the 2016 campaign, was Super League’s top metre maker and has managed to improve year-on-year. A real asset to the Warrington club and to Super League.
Season Summary
The perfect phrase for Warrington’s 2016 season would be: ‘always the bridesmaid, never the bride.’ The club got to both the Challenge Cup final and the Grand Final and lost in both. They may have won the League Leaders’ Shield but fell short of the final hurdle. They were by far the best and most entertaining team with a young squad and some great English talent. Wolves fans should be proud of getting to two finals and giving opportunities to many young players who really put a marker down.
Talking Points
The Gidley Effect
Gidley arrived from the NRL after a 15-year stint with the Newcastle Knights and was brought in to partner Sandow in the halves. This was an ideal combination with Gidley’s organisation skills and Sandow’s off-the-cuff style of play. Gidley really added an extra dimension to the Wolves squad with his experience and goal-kicking.
Youngsters taking their chances
Warrington are a club that are set up for a few years as long as they can keep hold of their youngsters. This year in particular, Evans, Russell, Patton, Currie and Dwyer all took turns to show what they do and scare a few teams. These five in particular will be ones to watch in 2017.
Ratchford is Mr Reliable
Although he missed the first month of the season, Ratchford soon became the man to rely on in the Wolves squad. Being a utility back can often be a hindrance but for Wolves, he’s been an asset for many years now. He’s the go-to man for injury cover but it would be great for him to get a starting spot consistently. Having the one shirt for 2017 could work in his favour.
2017 Ins and Outs
INS
Kevin Brown
Mike Cooper
Dominic Crosby
Andre Savelio
Matty Blythe
OUTS
Chris Sandow
Mitchell Dodds
James Laithwaite
Ben Evans
Gary Wheeler
Jordan Cox
Ryan Bailey
Daniel Murray
David Thompson
