Warrington Wolves coach Daryl Powell believes his side’s battling performance against St Helens last Thursday represents a “massive step forward”.
The Wolves lost for the third game running, and the eighth time in 13 Super League outings under their former Castleford coach, as the defending champions won 12-10 at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
But as they wait to pass the halfway point of the 27-game regular season with a home clash against Leeds on Friday week, June 3, optimistic Powell can see signs of progress under his stewardship.
“It’s a massive step forward. I thought we were class, and on that performance, we would beat most, if not all the other teams,” he said.
“We had an opportunity at the end to win the game but St Helens are a quality side.
“But the confidence we will get from going toe to toe with them is significant. To keep them scoreless in the second half is quite an effort.”
Powell, who played fit-again Gareth Widdop at fullback in place of the injured Josh Thewlis and stuck with Stefan Ratchford at stand-off alongside George Williams, added: “We get so much from that. It’s huge in terms of what we can do in the second half of the season.
“We’ve shown what we can do when everybody is aligned, particularly defensively.
“We need to replicate that performance on a consistent basis and develop our game and have more composure in attacking positions.”
Meanwhile Warrington have unveiled a limited-edition Magic Weekend kit, which, in a Rugby League first, is made from recycled materials.
Described as “a blend of forest green with horizontal dark green stripes”, it is 70 percent recycled plastic with technology designed in partnership with kit suppliers O’Neills.
The Wolves face Catalans Dragons at St James’ Park on Sunday, July 10.
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