Warrington Wolves forward Ashton Sims insists that the club are not getting carried away by a hectic few weeks ahead – but he admits the next month or so could go a long way to dictating the outcome of their season, starting with tonight’s game against Hull.
The Wolves host high-flying FC before games against fellow top-four side Catalans and a Challenge Cup quarter-final with Widnes before the month is out.
But Sims told TotalRL that the Wolves are only focussing on Hull first – but he admits this month is crucial.
“We’re not getting too far ahead of ourselves; we know we’ve got the cup game against Widnes on the horizon but we’ve got two huge league games against Hull and Catalans coming up,” he said. We want to give our fans something to cheer about and we’re really switched on for what lies ahead.
“It’s a huge few weeks for our season. Like anyone you want to test yourself against the best and they’re two of the form teams in the competition. Our primary focus in Hull though, we need to make sure we hit the ground running against them.”
Sims admits the Wolves are wary of a full team performance from a Hull side who have won 12 of their last 13 games in all competitions.
He said: “They’ve been the form team over the last couple of months, most certainly.
“They’ve got a good forward pack and they’ve got great halves – they’re a great side. We won’t be pinpointing one guy in particular, it’s the full 17 we’ve got to pay respect and credit to.”
Sims also said that the club’s new signings from last season are also benefitting from having a full year under their belt at the club. Stars like Sims, Daryl Clark and Chris Sandow all joined at various points in 2015, and the prop picked out Clark in particular for special praise after a fine 2016 thus far.
“I think having a season under our belt, guys like myself, Daryl and even Chris has helped us no end.
“It’s hard to come in and try fit in within six months but we’ve all benefitted from last year. Picking out one in particular, I think Daz Clark has been absolutely tremendous for us this season, he’s back to the form that won him the Man of Steel.
“He wants to learn and keep evolving as a player and that’s only going to put him in good stead for the years to come.”
And Sims insists he’s still enjoying the journey at Warrington, halfway into what has become a three-year stay with the club.
“I’m loving Super League life; it’s like being back home lately with this weather. I actually miss the cold nowadays, which shows how much I’m part of British culture!
“People ask me if I think about home but right now, this is home. I’m not thinking about being here for a pre-determined amount of time, I’m just enjoying the ride.”
