May 2003
29th May. In a scene reminiscent of Corporal Jones in Dad's Army, Paul Cullen uttered the immortal phrase " Don't Panic Don't Panic ", a bit of poetic license of course but the message is the same. He was calling on his front row players to stick to the game plan against St Helens and not panic if things do not go well straight before the Cas game and after the walloping from Saints The Wire had got three wins based on a solid pack and sticking to a game plan. Cullen said " I was concerned that there was an element of panic and anxiety in the team against Castleford when the lines to tend to run did not come off for us and the plays didn't pan out as we expected, and I was concerned that we switched off after the opening try scored by Darren Burns", "That's is not to discredit any of the work Castleford did because I thought their front row of Ryan Hudson, Nathan Sykes and Andy Lynch won the game for them."
Nathan Wood who missed the Wigan game through food poisoning losing a stone of weight in the process is hoping that extra training will get the team in shape for St Helens after a relatively poor show against Castleford.Wood said " I was fired up to beat Castleford I think we are a better side that them but it wasn't our night on Saturday, it was the basic things that we weren't doing well and there was probably an air of complacency around and it cost us".
28th May.Fixture Change Warrington Wolves' fixture against Leeds Rhinos in Round 17 at Headingley has been moved from the Friday 4th July, kick off 8.00pm to Sunday 6th July, kick off 3.00pm. The reason for the change is due to the Origin fixture taking place on the Wednesday 2nd July. Head Coach Paul Cullen commented, "I have requested the fixture change to support the Origin fixture on Wednesday night and not to gain an unfair advantage.See fixtures and results for more changes.
Crouthers On Loan Kevin Crouthers, 27 has gone on loan to NFP side Dewsbury Rams for four weeks. Crouthers signed from Dewsbury Rams prior to the Super League VII campaign, during Super League Vii Kevin also went on loan to Dewsbury Rams and Chorley Lynx season. Kevin has featured in two first team games this season before suffering a hamstring injury in Round 7 against St. Helens. Domic Doubtful Sid Domic is doubtful for this weekend's clash against St. Helens after being carried from the field in Saturday's clash against Castleford. Sid suffered an ankle injury, which was strapped to allow him to return to the field during the game. He awaits a x-ray and will be subject to a late fitness test.
Wolves Westminster Visit Warrington Wolves, Chief Executive Andy Gatcliffe was invited to the House of Commons this week to present an update of the Club's new stadium development and their work in the community. Warrington's Community Development team have retained the Best Community Award Programme in Super League for the 3rd year in a row. Andy Gatcliffe commented, "It was an honour for myself, the Club and also for the Borough of Warrington to be invited to attend the All Parliamentary Rugby League Group meeting. To be given the opportunity to update both MPs and Peers on the success of the Clubs work especially in regard to the wide ranging Community programme undertaken really does raise the profile of Warrington Wolves on a national basis As we already know, this Club is the envy of many other Clubs for the community work and the fact that Warrington Wolves have the BEST FANS IN SUPER LEAGUE!!!"
26th May.Paul Cullen believes Castleford have set the standard which the Wolves must reach to qualify for the Super League play-offs. The Tigers' 32-16 win on Saturday took them to fifth and opened up a three- point gap on The Wire in seventh. Cullen said: "We've played everybody now and we've found out what the quality is to get in the top six. At the moment we are just not there."
25th May. WARRINGTON 16-32 CASTLEFORD .The Wire slipped back into bad old habits as they went down to Castleford at Wilderspool,a brief revival in the second half faded as bad handling put paid to any hopes of a win.Warrington :Tries: Burns Briers Smyth Goals: Briers (2,) Castleford, Tries:Hudson Sampson Pryce Saxton Bartrim Goals:Bartrim (6) H/T: 10-18 Att: 6,090 .
Paul Cullen opined that the five-try defeat was a "slap in the face" for his side at Wilderspool. The coach said: "We were hugely disappointing. "We were exceptionally casual and made to pay the price. Castleford thoroughly deserved their victory and the thrashing they gave us. "Rugby league is a hard and cynical game and in this match we got the slap in the face that we thoroughly deserved."
22nd May.Paul Cullen has decided that defence is the way forward when the Wire entertain Castleford on Saturday night Sky TV KO 6.05pm. Castleford joined Warrington when they beat Widnes handsomely last weekend, and being one point ahead of Warrington in the table they will be hoping to do the double over the Cheshire sides. Said Cullen." There's the table positions,there's Graham Steadman and myself following similar career paths, I would presume there are similar player budgets and neither side is packed with current past or present internationals ,""From here, each club can either progress through to the top end of the table or drift off into the bottom end of the table and both clubs are fully aware of the situation.So if there's an even contest this is it.
Paul Cullen was full of praise for his team after the Wigan game which they were unlucky to lose 21-20, He said "We passed a mental test some time ago ,I think it's safe to say that relegation is now someone else's problem and not ours." Cullen added "The best team never loses , we were one point short Full Stop.
Team to face Cas, Lee Penny, Rob Smythe, Brent Grose, Ian Sibbet, Graham Appo, Lee Briers, Nathan Wood, Nick Fozzard, Jon Clarke, Mark Gleeson, Mark Hilton, Paul Wood, Warren Stevens, Mike Wainwright, Jerome Guisset, Paul Noone, Darren Burns, Sid Domic.Ben Westwood will soon be pushing for a first team spot after having the plaster removed from his leg, he joins Dean Gaskell, Gary Hulse and Matt Sturm all pushing for a place in the 17.
20th May. Lee Briers scored 3 goals and 2 drop goals on Friday night at Wigan, these scores took Lee passed 500 goals in a career consisting of 172 first grade matches, this consists of 502 goals of which 37 are drop goals,he also holds the club record for points in a game,this is made up of 14 goals in the 84-1 Silk Cup Challenge Cup 5th round home defeat of York on February 27th 2000, he also scored 3 tries to give him a club record 40 points.He signed for Warrington in 1997 from St Helens for £65,000.
17th May. Paul Cullen hailed his team after they pushed Wigan hard before losing 21-20. The Wire were beaten by an injury- time drop goal by Andy Farrell and he said: "It was a great game of rugby league and we played our part in it. "It was another very progressive performance from us and I'm happy with everyone ` it was a fantastic effort and we are not looking for sympathy. "We were one point short but we can take an awful lot from the game."
16th May. WIGAN 21-20 WARRINGTON Andrew Farrell scored a drop-goal with 30 seconds remaining to earn Wigan a tense victory at the JJB Stadium. Wire looked set to take the points when Lee Briers knocked over two drop goals on 68 and 73 minutes. But Farrell, returning after three months out injured, levelled the scores with his fourth penalty and secured the points with a dramatic late drop goal. Brier's kicking had helped The Wire to a deserved 12-6 half-time lead.Wigan , Tries: Lam Briscoe (2) Goals: Farrell (4) Drops: Farrell ,Warrington, Tries Domic Grose Briers Goals Briers (3) Drops Briers (2) ATT: 11,224
15th May.Paul Cullen has named an 18-man squad for the Round 10 visit to The JJB Stadium this Friday. 1 .Lee Penny 2.Rob Smyth 3. Brent Grose 12. Ian Sibbit 5. Graham Appo 6. Lee Briers (C) 7.Nat Wood 8.Nick Fozzard 9.Jon Clarke 10. Mark Hilton 11.Darren Burns 23.Mike Wainwright 13.Sid Domic 14. Mark Gleeson 16.Paul Wood 18.Paul Noone 17. Warren Stevens 15. Jerome Guisset returns from International duty with France in the Victory cup (missed Round 9 v Halifax)
INJURIES 4. Ben Westwood broken leg v Rnd 5 Bradford Bulls (06/04/03) 24. Kevin Crouthers hamstring v Rnd 7 St. Helens (3.00pm)
MILESTONES Lee Briers needs three goals for a club career total of 500. His total of 497 includes 35 drop goals and has come in 171 matches. Lee Penny needs two tries for a club career century of touchdowns. Courtesy Wolfmail.
14th May.Paul Cullen was today appointed coach of the Lancashire Origin Team ,he was assistant coach to Ian Millward last year.His assistant will be former Wire player Mike Gregory.
9th May.This time last year Warrington had amassed 4 points ,a 38-8 win over Halifax this evening gives the super blues 10 points and puts them 5th in the league.It turned out to be a game in which Halifax played like the bottom of the table side they are ,showing very little fight which must be exasperating for their coach and the fans.Warrington fans will know very well how it feels to support a team lost in time and space because Warrington spent most of last year in Neverland until Paul Cullen came along.Tonight The Wire painted the town Primrose and Blue. A hat-trick from Graham Appo sealed victory . Halifax did take an early lead through a Dane Dorahy penalty but Nathan Wood's try put Warrington ahead. Paul Wood, Appo and Sid Domic all went over to give the visitors a commanding 22-2 lead just after the break. Daryl Cardiss did pull one back for Halifax but Appo scored twice in the closing 14 minutes to seal victory. Result Halifax Tries: Cardiss Goals: Dorahy 2. Warrington Tries: Appo 3 Wainwright Domic Wood 2 Goals: Briers 5 .Half Time 2-16
8th May.France 's decision to call Jerome Guisset into the team to play in Russia without official notice has not gone down well at Wilderspool, Guisset who picked up a chest injury playing against Widnes would ideally have had 7 days to recover ,is now possibly due to play 2 games in 3 days in the inaugural tournament in Russia.Guisset is the only player from Super league to be involved in the Victory Cup tournament.If the Wire had pulled Guisset from the tournament because of injury he would not have been allowed to play against Halifax ,so it was a no win situation for the club.Jerome scored for France as they beat the Barla team in the first game of the series.
Team News Round 9. Paul Cullen has selected a 19 man squad to travel to The Shay on Friday 9th May 2003, kick off 7.45pm. 1. Lee Penny 2. Rob Smyth 3. Brent Grose 12. Ian Sibbit 5. Graham Appo 6. Lee Briers (C) 7. Nat Wood 8. Nick Fozzard 9. Jon Clarke 10. Mark Hilton 11. Darren Burns 23. Mike Wainwright 13. Sid Domic 18. Paul Noone 16. Paul Wood 17. Warren Stevens 14. Mark Gleeson returns from a knee injury his last game was Rnd 4 v Hull FC (30.03.03) 21. Matt Sturm 19. Gary Hulse 15. Jerome Guisset is on international duty with France in Russia playing in the Victory Cup .
The Wire are expected to be unchanged for the visit to the Shay on Friday, except that Sid Domic will replace Guisset, the other sub spot is expected to be filled by either Matt Sturm, Dean Gaskell, Mark Gleeson or Gary Hulse. Warrington are very keen to put two wins together and put a good gap between themselves and any worries about relegation in what will be a year of Super League consolidation. Warrington's win over Widnes was one the club and fans really enjoyed ,Widnes who have done a lot of crowing over the fact that they beat the Wire 3 times last year,were sent home well whupped by a determined Wire,The Wire knocked Widnes off their game and made them look second rate and if Briers had had his kicking boots on the gap between the teams would have much greater. Sid Domic is not getting carried away by the win against Widnes ,the job is only half done,He Said " It was a great win one that the fans had been waiting for for so long but it is only a job half done. "If we do not win against Halifax then we will have let ourselves down,it's another game we must win".
Paul Cullen was full of praise for Sid who returned only 4 weeks after suffering a compound fracture and dislocation of his thumb.Cullen said " It was a fantastic effort from Sid to play in that game and he had forced the issue all the way, Sid was distraught to learn he was on the bench against Widnes such is the nature of the man." Domic said " Cull was great he left it up to me to decide if I was ready,I recover pretty quickly and I had a good feeling about it, I was not worried about it at all." " I am a long way from home and the football takes my mind off missing everyone back home, I wanted to get back on the field and make myself useful again.
Gary Chambers Wire under 18's coach has been named as coach for the Red Rose in Sunday's Origin game against Yorkshire,Paul Cullen is tipped to be senior coach although RL chiefs are not naming anyone until Wednesday ,Chambers is joined by four Wire Players they are Jamie Durbin, Michael Govin, Chris Baines, Tommy Grundy and Dean Burgess who is at the club on load from Whitehaven.The first game is a curtain raiser before the Bradford Bulls v Castleford Tigers game on Sunday ,the second is before the Warrington Wolves Vs St Helens match on June 1st at Wilderspool.Most of the team is made up of 9 Wigan players.
6th May . Warrington Wolves U21's fullback Nick Owen has broken his leg and will be sidelined for up to 8 weeks. Nick, 19 suffered the injury in the Wolves 24-20 defeat over rivals Widnes on Saturday 3rd May at Widnes. Owen is a first team hopeful who made his debut for them against Widnes in the Wire FM Boxing Day challenge in 2002, scoring a try. Next U21 game - Thursday 8th May this week down at Wilderspool v Halifax Kick-off 7.30pm. Prices are £2 for Adults and £1 for children - free to season ticket holders, who must show their season ticket to gain entry. Source Wolfmail.
3rd May.It was plaudits all the way for Warrington after Brent Grose went over after a few minutes at Wilderspool this evening ,looking a totally different side than the one that sat back and watched St Helens score tries only a week ago,this was a Warrington team that wanted two points from this game and that is what they got, their defence totally knocked Widnes out of the game and at one point if Widnes were not shouting at the ref they were arguing amongst themselves. Brent Grose eventually touched down twice while Rob Smyth, Jerome Guisset, Graham Appo, Ian Sibbit and Paul Wood all crossed. Warrington Tries: Grose (2) Smyth, Guisset, Appo, Sibbit, Wood . Goals: Briers (3).Widnes Tries: Hay, Goals O'Neill. H/T: 24-6 Attendance 7,246
Ist May. Coach Paul Cullen admits that The Wire could see themselves involved in a fight of Super League's middle order with this weekend's opponents Widnes. The battle for the sixth play-off spot could be between the two sides. Coach Cullen admitted: "I see this game as the fight for the middle order. We are a club on the rebuild and have taken what we deserve from matches so far this season."
Richard Varkulis could make an appearance for the Wire if Ian Sibbet does not recover from a leg injury, 20 year old former Barla Lion is 19th man in Cullens squad for the Widnes game on Saturday Sky Sports KO 6.05 pm,Cullen describes the game as a must win if the Wire are to avoid sinking into the lower reaches of the SL table. Lee Briers is expecting to be fit for a return after training well in the week, another player who has an outside chance of returning is Sid Domic who is out of plaster and straining at the leash, it will be purely a medical decision as to whether he plays or not. All super league players are included in the squad with the exception of Kevin Crouthers (hamstring) and Ben Westwood ( broken leg).Cullen said " We are expecting a very competitive fixture, and the pressure is on us in front our own fans, as we aim to bounce back after our defeat at St Helens.
Paul Cullen has named a 22-man squad to face the Widnes Vikings this Saturday evening for the first local derby between the clubs of the season. 1. Lee Penny 2. Rob Smyth 12. Ian Sibbit returns from ankle injury, last game Round 6 v Wakefield (18.04.03) 3. Brent Grose 5. Graham Appo 6. Lee Briers (c) returns from a shoulder/ankle injury, last game Round 6 v Wakefield 7. Nat Wood 8. Nick Fozzard 9. Jon Clarke 10. Mark Hilton 15. Jerome Guisset 23. Mike Wainwright 11. Darren Burns 17. Warren Stevens 16. Paul Wood 21. Matt Sturm 18. Paul Noone 13. Sid Domic returns from broken thumb sustained in Round 5 v Bradford (06.04.03) 14. Mark Gleeson returns from knee injury sustained in Round 4 v Hull F.C (30.03.03) 19. Gary Hulse 25. Richard Varkulis, 20 centre, former club Leigh Miners ARLFC, signed to the U21s this season and has scored 11 tries in 8 games.Source Warrington Wolfmail
Warrington Wolves' mascot Wolfie will take on the Wire FM Moose in a 10km run sponsored by ABBA Cars on Sunday 4th May at 8.50am, the main event begins at 9.00am. The run which the Wolves local radio station Wire FM have organised in conjunction with ABBA Cars will take place at Victoria Park. Wolfie and the Moose participated in 1km training run earlier this week through Warrington Town Centre, which suspiciously ended in a draw, setting up the Challenge for Sunday morning's contest. Also participating in the run for charity are Wolves staff members: Commercial Manager Julie Cleave, Community Development Officer Jane Banks and Media and PR Officer Gina Coldrick. Report courtesy Wolfmail.