Warrington Wolves star Ben Currie will shortly begin his tenth season as a Super League player, having made his debut in 2012, with all his 156 Super League appearances so far having been made with the Wolves.
Currie has been a loyal one-club man for Warrington over that period, which is likely to mean that he will earn a testimonial in the near future.
“The thought of starting my tenth season just makes me think that it’s strange how time flies,” says Currie.
“I’m now towards the top half of the age-range of the team and I’m trying to become more of a leader.
“I joined the Wolves at 16, before spending a year in the Academy
“I made my first-team debut in 2012 against Widnes, and although we beat them 46-12, it didn’t start off that way. I played from the beginning, and within five or ten minutes we went 12-0 down, but fortunately it came right in the end.”
That game was a Good Friday derby and Currie would go on to make five more first-team appearances in 2012 before consolidating his place in the first team the following year, when he made 24 appearances, 17 of them off the bench.
“It takes a long time before you feel like a settled member of the team,” says Currie.
“You always have to be on edge because you are always fighting with someone who is after your place, so you can never completely relax. In the early days I was on the bench a lot, getting opportunities when other players were injured.
“You don’t wish injuries on anyone, but they are part of the game. One week you’re thinking you’re miles behind and then suddenly someone has had to pull out and you get your chance, which you have to make the most of.”
Since those early days Currie has enjoyed some tremendous successes, including winning the Challenge Cup in 2019 and playing in all six of England’s matches during the 2017 World Cup. But he has also suffered from frustrating knee injuries and setbacks on the field, particularly in 2020, when the Wolves failed to make a major final, despite coming out of lockdown like a house on fire, winning seven successive games coming out of lockdown before falling to a Challenge Cup defeat against Salford and a play-off defeat to Hull FC.
“Last year was very disappointing,” admits Currie.
“It’s hard to put a finger on why the season slipped away; if we knew what it was we’d fix it in a heartbeat.
“But you have to credit our lads for coming through a lockdown so well; our fitness level last August was unbelievable but we couldn’t maintain those results.”
Now that Wolves coach Steve Price will leave the club at the end of the year, the players will be keen to ensure the season ends with the Super League trophy, which has so far proved so elusive for Warrington.
“Wigan, Saints and Leeds have all been there and done it, and we are challengers. That’s what we are striving to get to. We see those three clubs as massive rivals. I watched the Grand Final and it was one of the best games I’ve seen. We need to match that standard if we are going to win the title.
“And then of course we will be striving to get into England’s World Cup squad.
“There’s an awful lot to play for this year.”
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