A two-day trip to York helped breathe life back into Warrington Wolves’ season after a faltering start to life under Daryl Powell.
After opening with three wins on the bounce, five consecutive defeats in all competitions left the Wolves going into a two-week spell ahead of the Easter period in a difficult place.
They bounced back well to defeat Salford Red Devils last Thursday and key to that was a change of scenery, with time spent in York to clear minds and refocus with a ‘reset camp’.
“It’s tough when you lose a few games on the spin and we needed to connect in a few different ways,” said Powell.
“Losing games consistently can really rattle the confidence of a squad. We’ve worked really hard and I think the boys have been class over the last couple of weeks.
“It’s about moving on and almost starting again. We started the season well and had some setbacks since then but it’s about the future.”
Billy Magoulias, an off-season recruit who made his first Warrington start in the Salford victory, saw the benefits of the trip and a harder week of training as they enjoyed a blank week following their Challenge Cup exit.
“We just spoke about where we were at, where we need to go to, what we can do better,” said the former Cronulla Sharks forward.
Magoulias was thrown straight into the fire of a struggling team after missing the first six games of the season with an ankle injury.
He feels he’s getting better with each match and that the team will do the same having finally snapped their losing run.
“We’re working hard and we’re going in the right direction,” he insisted.
“It’s more about what we’re doing consistently, that’s the problem. Once we’re consistent, when you watch us play you can see that we’re a Warrington team.
“People can almost predict what they’re going to see. That’s when we’ll be at our best.”
The above content is also available in the regular weekly edition of League Express, on newsstands every Monday in the UK and as a digital download. Click here for more details.