WARRINGTON skipper George Williams paid tribute to Wakefield but admitted his side just didn’t play anywhere near their best in the first half of the Super League Grand Final.
Wakefield raced to a 19-0 lead at Old Trafford on Saturday and held out in the second half to be crowned 23-10 winners in the sold-out decider.
“I’m really disappointed,” Williams said at full-time.
“It’s just a hard way to go out. It’s nice to be here, but on reflection we didn’t perform. When you play your best and you lose, you can half-wear it. But I don’t think we were just anywhere near our best in the first half.
“So credit to Wakefield, they deserve some massive plaudits. But 19-0 is just too big a hill to recover from in many games, let alone a Grand Final.”
Williams accepted that the Wolves were slow to start the game, and Jazz Tevaga’s try right before half-time was a killer blow for his team that they couldn’t recover from.
“I think so,” agreed Williams.
“At 12-0 you’re still in the game and then a barge over try like that kills you. I’m proud of our efforts, but you can’t give 19-0 lead against a great team that’s in form and playing really well.”
Saturday’s Grand Final was Williams’ last game before he leaves Warrington to join the Dolphins in the NRL.
And he conceded that the loss hurts even more given that it was his farewell match.
“It does,” he conceded.
“But one thing I’m grateful for is the time at Warrington. I’ve had two young kids in that time who are both Warrington fans, so Warrington will always have a special place in my heart.
“I love the group, and the club’s done a lot for me.
“So it’s disappointing that I can’t give them the fairytale finish, but the club’s in a great position and I’m sure they’ll be back.”