WARRINGTON WOLVES 18 CATALANS DRAGONS 16
KASEY SMITH, Halliwell Jones Stadium, Thursday
WARRINGTON overcame more injury woes as they dispatched of Catalans to return to winning ways.
The Wolves lost both their fullback and a centre in the first half, yet still managed to overcome John Cartwright’s side.
For Catalans, hopes of breaking into the play-offs continue to fade, while Warrington moved back level with Leeds at the top of the league.
Already ravaged by injuries this season, Warrington suffered another setback when Arron Lindop was added to the casualty list shortly after returning from more than a year out, with what appears to be another serious knee injury.
Things worsened when Josh Thewlis also limped off, leaving Sam Burgess to question what his side had done to deserve such misfortune.
Catalans, meanwhile, could only produce flashes of brilliance and repeatedly let Warrington off the hook, with a lack of discipline continually undermining their efforts.
Warrington enjoyed plenty of early territory and came close on several occasions, powering their way towards the line. Luke Thomas went the nearest, his effort eventually ruled short after a video review.
The opening score stemmed from a Lenny Marc knock-on under no pressure deep inside his own half. From the resulting set of six, a powerful carry from James Harrison – followed by a well-timed offload to Thewlis – created the space for Matty Ashton to finish.
Warrington, however, were far from flawless themselves. Toby Sexton broke them open with a pass to Nick Cotric, and after a strong carry and a cross-field kick, Zac Lipowicz scored when Albert Hopoate and Josh Smith collided and missed the ball, with Catalans levelling the game.
A similar looping pass out wide was once again executed to perfection, this time from Lewis Dodd, and it found Cotric, again, with Ashton stranded. It was a simple sprint through for the winger to put his side in front.
Things went from bad to worse for Warrington. Thewlis, on the verge of sending Ashton in for a second try, lost his footing at the moment of release, bringing the move to a halt and prompting concern as he was clattered and appeared to have his leg trapped.
The challenge earned them a penalty, but Irwin couldn’t convert, leaving them 10-6 behind at half-time.
Thewlis didn’t reappear for the second 40, and with four forwards named among the substitutes, hopes of salvaging something from the game seemed to be slipping away.
But the resilient Wolves refused to lose faith. Hopoate’s charge, early in the second half, saw him power over for a try – Irwin added the extras – and the Wolves edged back into the lead.
Warrington stretched their lead when James Bentley finished off a flowing move, sparked by a looped pass from Danny Walker. Ashton gathered and calmly offloaded to Bentley for the score.
The Dragons responded and it was Dodd who broke free from the tacklers to set up a nail-biting finish at 18-16.
Hearts were in mouths as Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet broke clear in what looked like a certain match-winner, only for Irwin to appear from nowhere with a last-ditch intervention to bring him down and secure the win.
That was followed by Dragons skipper Ben Garcia being sent to the sin bin for dissent as frustration took hold.
GAMESTAR: Ewan Irwin for the last-ditch tackle. He started in the halves, but stepped up to the mark brilliantly at fullback when Thewlis went off.
GAMEBREAKER: When captain Ben Garcia lost his composure, shown yellow for dissent, the Dragons had psychologically conceded defeat.
HIGHLIGHT REEL: Matty Ashton’s calm offload to James Bentley for the third try, from a scratchy looping pass by Danny Walker when Nick Cotric was onrushing, showed great skill.
ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Ewan Irwin (Warrington)
2 pts Albert Hopoate (Warrington)
1 pt Matty Ashton (Warrington)
MATCHFACTS
WOLVES
2 Josh Thewlis
4 Albert Hopoate
26 Josh Smith
23 Arron Lindop
5 Matty Ashton
18 Ewan Irwin
19 Leon Hayes
16 Liam Byrne
9 Danny Walker
21 Luke Thomas
20 James Bentley
13 Ben Currie
10 James Harrison
Subs (all used)
14 Sam Powell
17 Jordan Crowther
25 Max Wood
34 Kelepi Tanginoa
18th man (not used)
11 Adam Holroyd
Also in 21-man squad
7 Marc Sneyd
30 Tom McKinney
35 Lachlan Webster
Tries: Ashton (15), Hopoate (47), Bentley (63)
Goals: Irwin 3/4
DRAGONS
1 Charlie Staines
3 Nick Cotric
24 Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet
4 Solomona Faataape
25 Lenny Marc
6 Toby Sexton
7 Lewis Dodd
16 Josh Allen
19 Kruise Leeming
17 Romain Navarrete
11 Franck Maria
20 Zac Lipowicz
13 Ben Garcia
Subs (all used)
8 Tevita Satae
12 Ben Condon
18 Harvey Wilson
21 Matthieu Laguerre
18th man (not used)
26 Ugo Tison
Also in 21-man squad
10 Julian Bousquet
22 Josh Simm
30 Alexis Lis
Tries: Lipowicz (22), Cotric (33), Dodd (70)
Goals: Aispuro-Bichet 2/3
Sin bin: Garcia (77) – dissent
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 6-6, 6-10; 12-10, 18-10, 18-16
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Wolves: Ewan Irwin; Dragons: Lewis Dodd
Penalty count: 11-4
Half-time: 6-10
Referee: Marcus Griffiths
Attendance: 8,354