Warrington Wolves half-back Kurt Gidley admits his team has had to learn to play without star pivot Chris Sandow in recent weeks, but he says they are slowly getting there.
The Wolves found life tough going after Sandow suffered a hamstring injury that ruled him out for several months, losing their first two games without the halfback.
But they have since recovered to thrash both Widnes and Wigan to cement their position at the top of the table, and Gidley told League Express he believes they are improving every week ahead of Saturday’s Challenge Cup clash with Oldham.
“We go into every game wanting to win and improve on our previous performances, but we want to get them (Wigan) beaten at the end of the year – that’s when it matters,” he said.
“Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been striving to improve.
“We’ve had to learn how to play without Chris over the last month or so.
“We weren’t scoring many points when he first left the team, but Stefan and I are getting better as the weeks go on and with the strike power we’ve got out wide, it’s up to us to get them some good ball and I think we’ve done that lately.”
Thursday’s 40-10 victory rounded off a superb week for Gidley, who agreed a one-year extension to remain at the Wolves in 2017.
He admitted he never considered leaving at the end of this season, and says he’s delighted with how the move has gone so far.
“The club, Tony (Smith) and Simon (Moran) came to me and asked if I’d stay on for next year and I was always hoping to anyway,” he said.
“I had to earn the right to be given the extra year and I think I must have done that. I’m delighted to be staying at Warrington.
“My plan was always to play for two years – it’s been enjoyable for the short time we’ve been here and we’re looking forward to staying longer.
“I came here with an open mind and I wanted a challenge and something new, so I’ve not been that surprised at how well I’ve taken to it all. My family and I came with an open mind and we’ve really enjoyed it.”
