27th February. WOLVES UNDER-21'S BEGIN WITH A WIN David Allen Warrington Wolves began the new Senior Academy Championship season with a 36-26 win over Wakefield Trinity Wildcats at Wilderspool on Wednesday night. The Wolves led 16-10 at half time in the season opener, and saw winger Dean Gaskell and centre Richard Varkulis score two tries apiece. Their other try scorers were Darryl Rowlands, Tommy Grundy and Steve Pickersgill, while Nick Owen added four goals. Jamie Rooney staked his claim for a place in the Wakefield first team with two tries and five goals, while England Academy winger Matty Wray also bagged a brace.

8th February. Bradford Bulls moved into Round Five of the Powergen Challenge Cup with a 38-12 win on Saturday, but needed five second half tries to see off the Wolves' challenge. The Bulls lost out at this stage 12 months ago to Leeds, and another shock looked on the cards as the Wolves earned a 12-all half time scoreline. But the sin-binnings of Graham Appo, Sid Domic and Lee Briers took their toll on the Wolves, who also lost Lee Penny and Rob Smyth to injury, and Bradford scored tries to Lesley Vainikolo, who grabbed a brace, Leon Pryce Scott Naylor and debutant Shontayne Hape. The Bulls could have been in front after two minutes, but Karl Pratt was unable to ground Paul Deacon's bomb, while Danny Gartner was needed to stop Mike Wainwright at the other end. Warrington grabbed the first points with a Briers penalty on five minutes, but Deacon cancelled that out soon afterwards as referee Robert Connolly clamped down on offsides and holding down. The Wolves dominated the early stages, and the first try went to Darren Burns, who powered past Gartner and through Leon Pryce to score, Briers converting. Deacon and Briers then traded long-range penalties to leave the score at 12-4 before Bradford took advantage of the position given by another penalty to respond. Robbie Paul took James Lowes' inside ball and span through three tackles to reach over under the posts to touch down, with Deacon converting and then levelling matters on the stroke of half time after Appo was yellow carded for interference. With the scores level at the break, Warrington still had high hopes of competing the shock, but they knew that the opening nine minutes of the second period, without Appo, would prove crucial. It took just three minutes after the restart for Bradford to utilise the advantage, with Hape producing a good offload to allow Vainikolo to shrug off Sid Domic and beat Briers to score at the corner. Domic was then sin-binned for dissent on 52 minutes after Warrington conceded another penalty, and Bradford again capitalised, with Leon Pryce racing 55 metres to score, bursting through Nathan Wood and Mike Wainwright before rounding Appo. Deacon's goal gave them a 22-12 advantage, and Vainikolo added his second try just before the hour when he took Lee Radford's pass and charged past Ian Sibbit. On 68 minutes, the Bulls moved into an unassailable lead when Mike Forshaw and Pryce combined to allow Scott Naylor to cut inside and touch down, Deacon making the score 32-12. Warrington's growing frustration saw captain Briers shown the yellow card with eight minutes remaining, and the Bulls completed a satisfactory afternoon when Hape coasted in for a debut try in the corner from Paul's pass, Deacon's touchline conversion sealing the win. "For the first 20 minutes, it was really tough," said Bulls coach Brian Noble. "We changed the way that we had to shape things up in the second half and I am thoroughly delighted. "We didn't play the way we wanted to in the first half, and were a little bit slow out of the blocks, but we stopped giving away penalties and dictated the tempo in the second half."

6th February. Wire's returning duo Ian Sibbit and Mike Wainwright are both looking forward to making their competitive returns to Wilderspool when the Wolves face Bradford Bulls in the Powergen Challenge Cup on Saturday. Wainwright has had three years with Salford City Reds before returning to Wilderspool following their relegation last season, while Sibbit has spent the last 12 months with NRL outfit Melbourne Storm. Both made their 'second debuts' for the Wolves in the 26-16 friendly win over London Broncos on Sunday, and for Wainwright it ended a frustrating four-and-a-half months since the Reds' relegation. "I was glad for the run-out to blow off a few cobwebs," he told www.superleague.co.uk. "My last match was on 21st September, so it is a long time between games. "And three years was a long time to be away from Wilderspool to be honest, but there haven't been too many changes and, at the end of the day, I am still here to play Rugby League. "I am just enjoying being back at my home town club, there are a few familiar faces still here and the lads are a good bunch. "I had three good years at Salford, but the opportunity to stay in Super League and, probably more so, come back to Warrington was the big pull that I couldn't resist. "I have had probably three of my best years while I've been away from Warrington but I had no hesitation in returning and it all happened pretty quickly. "I've played in 95 per cent of the games in every season at Salford and that is my goal again; if I am playing in 95 per cent of the games, obviously my form must be pretty good." Sibbit was snapped up by Mark Murray at the end of the 2001 season, joining young Wakefield prop Keith Mason in moving to Melbourne. He made 20 appearances in the NRL last season, including three starts, but was not in new coach Craig Bellamy's plans this term and decided to return home after Paul Cullen took charge of the Wolves. "It is good to be back," he said. "It feels like home and there are a lot of familiar faces down here and I am looking forward to getting back playing every week. "It was a fantastic experience to be playing week in, week out in the NRL, with the players around me and the players I was playing against. I really enjoyed it. "It was a big learning curve for me to go out there so young and, to play as much first team as I did, which I didn't really expect, I feel I have learned quite a lot and hopefully it will show this year. "I was keen to come back anyway but, when Paul came back, I was very keen to work with him again. I have worked with him before when he was down here and he helped me a lot last time. Hopefully he can help me a lot this time." Sibbit and Wainwright followed Mark Gleeson and Warren Stevens in returning to Wilderspool, meaning that only Brent Grose is a newcomer to the club, but the recent warm weather training camp seems to have helped gel the squad. "All the signings have settled in really well," added Sibbit. "I think the week away in Lanzarote has helped, we have all got to know each other very well and hopefully it will show on the pitch this year. "It helped having not only a dry track, but a dry ball. It was a good week, and we really enjoyed it." Following that, and his experience of the Melbourne weather, Sibbit had a harsh re-introduction to British Rugby League in last Sunday's friendly with London - a first half hail storm. "It was a solid performance, in some pretty torrential conditions," he added. "I think at one point I had my hands down my shorts it was that cold, but it was a good performance, we got what we wanted out of the game and it was a good run-out." Wainwright added: "One pleasing thing was the the defence was really good but, on another aspect, we would have liked the ball a bit more to show what we are capable of. "The good thing was that we defended for probably 60-70 per cent more than we had to, but defended well and the shape looked good." Both admit that facing Bradford, last season's losing Tetley's Rugby Super League Grand Finalists, will pose a big test of how Cullen's new-look Wolves are shaping up going into the new season. "It's going to be a big game for both clubs," says Wainwright. "We've both got a couple of friendlies under our belts but we're confident. "We're at home, which is a good thing as the crowd is going to be quite vocal and they will turn up in force, and it's going to be a good Cup clash. "You have got to want to play against the best teams in the league and Bradford have proved while Super League has been going that they are up there in the top three teams." Sibbit, who is expecting to spend this season at both centre and second row, acknowledges that the Bulls - who went out at this stage last season to Leeds - will be a strong challenge. "Bradford will be a massive test in the opening game of the season," he admitted. "But if you want to win the Challenge Cup, you are going to have to beat teams like them, so it doesn't matter who you play. "I've got to get my own performance in check and, hopefully, the other lads will all play well and we can cause a bit of an upset."

5th February. Wolves are determined to leave Wilderspool with "dignity" at the end of 2003, and coach Paul Cullen admits that there is a different attitude around the club this year. The Wolves have come through a turbulent last season - which saw Steve Anderson and David Plange both leave the coaching role - to emerge with optimism going into Tetley's Rugby Super League VIII. Cullen, a former Warrington player and crowd favourite, has had the off-season to instil his ideas to the squad, which has been added to with the return of some former players and the import of three-quarter Brent Grose. They leave Wilderspool for a new, state of the art venue across Warrington next year, and Cullen admits that the whole club has changed its state of mind recently. "We spoke when we were away in Lanzarote that it was time to keep your head down, mouth shut and get on with the job," Cullen revealed. "I think, as a club, we have made too many mistakes in the past of talking up the fight and not delivering. "We don't intend to do that this year. "We have got to leave Wilderspool with dignity, and that's what we intend to do." Cullen has a 24-man squad for this year, but is ready to call upon some of the club's young talent should they be needed, and he knows that the Academy starlets will be ready for that selection. "The 24 we have got can be added to by some of the youngsters who went very well against Widnes and London," he added. "Jamie Durbin and Nick Owen are two young guys who are not named in our squad of 24 but are on the fringe and pushing for places. "There are a number of other young players who can add to that as well. "I think the versatility of some of the players we have is worth an extra body within that squad." The Wolves kick off their Powergen Challenge Cup campaign against Bradford Bulls at Wilderspool on Saturday, with the game kicking off at 3.00pm.

3rd February.WOLVES IN GOOD ORDER - CULLEN Warrington Wolves coach Paul Cullen was relieved to avoid injury in their 26-16 friendly win over London Broncos on Sunday, and was pleased with the victory. The Wolves, who had just returned from their pre-season training camp in Lanzarote, produced a solid display to defeat London, with a strong defensive effort the key to the win. New arrival Brent Grose grabbed a hat-trick for the Wolves, with Jamie Durbin and Ben Westwood adding other tries, while Lee Briers' creative genius saw him lay on three of the scores. "I'm happy that we've got no injuries, which was the big call," said Cullen, whose side face Bradford Bulls in the Powergen Challenge Cup Fourth Round on Saturday. "We showed some good shape, good go-forward, but the big key is that we are in good order going into the game against the Bulls. "We had a decent week away and I'm glad to come out with a reasonable win and no injuries." Grose, a former South Sydney centre or winger, looked sharp on his debut, and Cullen is tipping him to be a valuable signing in 2003. "He went very well, didn't he?" added Cullen. "I think we have yet to find our line and length with the kicking game, and hopefully he will get even more when we do." Cullen was also able to give run-outs to young prospects such as Durbin, full back Nick Owen, winger Dean Gaskell and second rower Mike Callan. "I thought some of the younger players in the second half showed that they were up for the fight and are going to stake a claim," he said. "It gives me a decent headache."