New Warrington Wolves head coach Daryl Powell is embracing the high expectations on his team, and has promised a lot of hard work to ensure they are met.
Powell has made the move to the Halliwell Jones Stadium after more than eight years at Castleford Tigers, beginning his first pre-season in charge this week.
He enjoyed great success at the Jungle in turning Castleford into a team that challenged for major honours, and acknowledges the different task ahead of him taking charge of a club that already expects to be competing for silverware each season.
“The thing I really worked hard on in my previous job at Castleford was to raise the expectation,” he said in his first press conference as Warrington boss.
“That’s exactly what I wanted to do, I wanted people to believe in the team, and I want people to believe in Warrington Wolves 100 per cent. That’s what it’s all about.
“So the challenge is the pressure that gets put on the individuals, to get everybody ready for success and be ready for the start of the season.
“It’s a tough challenge. St Helens are the team that everybody is shooting for at the moment. I think we’ve got everything in place to be successful.
“It’s getting the foundations right and then working so hard to grow every area of what we do as a rugby league team, to make sure the expectations can be met.
“There’s a massive expectation here and I’m not going to put a lid on that at all. I just want to make sure the players are ready for it. That’s what it is about, getting the players ready, getting the fans excited.
“But pre-season is all about getting the work done, working hard, and building skill levels and building combinations, especially for a first-season coach.
“It’s about getting an understanding of exactly what to expect and getting buy-in from everybody. It’s a process getting players to believe in what you’re saying to them, but the start so far has been exceptional.”