SO near, yet so far away.
It has been 71 long years since Warrington’s last league title, yet at Old Trafford the chance to clinch a first-ever Super League trophy was within touching distance. The performance on the field, though, suggested the opposite.
They were completely and utterly nullified. Another Grand Final. Another collapse. Another trophy lifted by somebody else. This is now the fifth time in Super League history that Warrington have fallen at the final hurdle.
Ben Currie has been at the club for all of them. And it was he who fixed his gaze on the jubilant Wakefield squad as they raised the glistening trophy aloft, fireworks booming and confetti filling the night sky at Old Trafford.
Beside him were teammates Ewan Irwin and Arron Lindop, standing yards apart, each left to ponder what might have been after Trinity – 40/1 outsiders at the start of the year – had done the unthinkable.
Rugby League’s perennial nearly-men had done it again. They have had mountains of investment, yet the Super League title still eludes them, this season adding to an ever-growing list of disappointments.
And perhaps what makes this one harder to take is that the recipe seemed to be there to finally get the job done.
There was a magnificent sprinkling of youth and experience among the squad. They had the mercurial talent of an in-form George Williams, set to once again captain England in the forthcoming World Cup. Alongside him, the unpredictability of Irwin.
They were all backed by a desire to put an end to the ridicule that has long been directed their way. There, too, were more players who had been there and done it in this line-up. Much of the Wakefield side had been playing Championship rugby only two seasons prior.
But the numbers, the reputations, and the history counted for nothing. Warrington could not make a dent, with Trinity producing another near-faultless performance.
Wakefield, much as they had done against reigning champions Wigan, completely suffocated Warrington.
The game was all but wrapped up in the first 40 minutes, with Warrington facing the task of overturning the biggest half-time deficit in a Grand Final for 25 years, having been blown away by a ferocious Wakefield pack.
Trinity had made almost twice as many metres as their opponents. Warrington’s halfback pairing had scarcely entered the Trinity 20-metre zone. And Irwin – whose rise has been remarkable, having played in the Academy Grand Final just 12 months ago – was reduced to hammering hopeful kicks downfield from well inside his own 40 on countless occasions.
If there was a silver lining to another painful night, it was the continued emergence of Warrington’s young talent. It felt particularly fitting that both of the Wolves’ tries were scored by 20-year-old Arron Lindop, who was showing another glimpse of the potential that has been evident all year coming through the club’s ranks.
In the second half, the Wolves attempted what would have been an incredible comeback. When Wakefield’s Corey Hall was sin-binned shortly after the restart and Lindop crossed moments later, a flicker of belief emerged. But 12-man Trinity dug in to absorb the ensuing onslaught.
Once back to full strength, they reasserted control to find the crucial next score, with the Wolves needing a miracle. The deficit was too big and the time ran out.
When the dust settles, Warrington can draw genuine optimism from the elite young talent rising through their ranks.
But for now, it is the same old story. And, as another season comes and goes, inevitably, the question from rival supporters will grow louder: Will 2027 be Warrington’s year?