FOR THE second year in succession Warrington Wolves are preparing to start the season with a new coach at the helm.
Last year it was Armani Sharrock that stepped up from her role as assistant coach to lead the side, but following her departure it now falls on another former assistant Ged Ginty to lead the side forward.
He has come into the role looking to the future and focusing a lot on getting things behind the scenes running smoothly. It very much appears to be a long-term stability over short term gain approach.
Therefore any improvement on their three wins in 2024 – twice over relegated Featherstone and once over Barrow – will likely be viewed as a success, but an early Challenge Cup exit after defeats to Cardiff and St Helens in the group stages indicate there is still a lot of work to be done.
Many key players moved on at the end of last season, but new signings Emma Knowles and Hannah Goddard come in with previous Super League knowledge to add some experience to an otherwise young squad.
Watch out for… Former Wigan Warriors hooker Abbie Singleton was deemed the the headline signing to arrive at the club this year, but she didn’t stay long – playing in just the two Challenge Cup Group games before joining Swinton Lionesses. It was hoped that her experience and knowledge from being in and around a top-end Super League club would add the guidance the largely young side will need throughout the season. But with her gone, that role may now fall solely on Emma Knowles – another ex-Wigan player looking to make an impact.
Charlie Magraw says… The girls are really putting the effort in and we’re all just excited about the year ahead. We have a new squad but with it we have a real determination to turn up week-in week-out, put the effort in and do the job. That is all we ask for. We tell them to wear the badge with pride and enjoy it, which is what they’ve been doing so far so there’s not much more we can ask of them. We had a lot of injuries last season, I had a couple of weeks out myself, so we didn’t get much consistency in the side. It would be a miracle if you didn’t pick up injuries during a season, but if we can get some consistency in the team this year that would be huge for us. But for me I just want the girls to enjoy themselves. If we win or if we lose, as long as the girls have put a their effort in, then I’m happy.
2025 squad: 1 Hollie Gregory, 2 Kerrie Evans, 3 Olivia Argent, 4 Hannah Goddard, 5 Sydney Alderman-Smith, 6 Charlie Magraw, 7 Emma Knowles, 8 Ellie Dooney, 9 Dani Bound, 10 Megan Condliffe, 11 Emily Downs, 12 Amber Harmon, 13 Millie Bell, 14 Abbie Singleton, 15 Helena Turner, 16 Arabella Reed, 17 Albany-D Coates, 18 Regan Davies, 19 Nicole Barnett, 20 Charlotte Nixon, 21 Georgia Bogg, 22 Chelsea Newton, 23 Nia Rowlands, 24 Jess Panayiotou, 25 Emily Simister, 26 Olivia Hill, 27 Jess Hutchinson, 28 Maisie Dunn, 29 Jevon Frost
Rugby League World predicts: 8th
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 508 (May 2025)