April 2005
30th April. A last minute drop goal brought a touch of Deja Vous to the proceedings as Wire lost to Saints again as the embers of this game were dying in the grate, the game itself was wondrous to behold as first Saints took the ascendancy and then Wire took, over Koa -Love brought Wire level at 6-6 Saints however had other ideas and took the lead again ,Wire took the lead at 12-18 and went in at halftime 20-24 down the game too and fr o'd through out the second half and any one of the teams could have won, the crunch came in the last minutes when Wire got the ball near their own line and started to work away from the line, the ball went to Bridge who for reasons only he will know tried to kick the ball over the defence only to surrender possession with minutes to go and that drop goal with literally seconds to go won it for Saints.Wire coach Paul Cullen focused on the positive elements of his side's performance. "We have played our part in a classic game and I don't think I need to pick my players up after this display. "There is obviously an element of disappointment and fatigue because we have pushed ourselves to the wire. "We have given everything that we've got but we are closing ground fast on other Super League teams." " Warrington (20) 30 Tries: Kohe-Love, N Wood (2) Westwood, Fa'afili, Goals: Appo (5). St Helens (24) 31 Tries: Long, Albert, Lyon (2), Higham Goals: Long (5) DG: Long. Teams: Grose, Fa'afili, M. Gleeson, Kohe-Love, Appo, Briers, N Wood, Leikvoll, Clarke, Hilton, Swann, Wainwright, Westwood. Replacements: M Gleeson, Lima, P Wood, Bridge. St Helens: Wellens, Albert, Lyon, Gilmour, Gardner, Hooper, Long, Bennett, Cunningham, Fozzard, V. Anderson, Wilkin, Sculthorpe. Replacements: P Anderson, Edmondson, Mason, Higham .Attn 12,666.
29th April.Rd 12 Paul Cullen names his final 18 man squad for the Round 12 engage Super League match against St Helens this Friday evening. 1. Brent Grose 2. Henry Fa'afili 3. Martin Gleeson 4. Toa Kohe Love 6. Lee Briers 7. Nathan Wood 8. Chris Leikvoll 9. Jon Clarke 10. Mark Hilton 11. Logan Swann 12. Mike Wainwright 13. Paul Noone 14. Mark Gleeson 15. Ben Westwood 16. Paul Wood 17. Danny Lima 18. Graham Appo 25. Chris Bridge.
28th April. Brent Grose has signed an extention to his contract that will ensure he will be at Warrington until at least 2008, Grose site the recent improvement in the clubs fortunes as the main reason he has decided to stay, and he hopes he can help Wire win trophies.WHAT WERE THE FACTORS IN DECIDING YOUR FUTURE LAY HERE AT THE HALLIWELL JONES STADIUM? There were a few factors I had to take into consideration. I have been here a few years and that I was happy here on and off the field. This place is really going somewhere and I wanted to be part of it. WHERE DO YOU SEE THE WOLVES IN 3 YEARS TIME? Competing in the Grand Final and winning them. I think that goal is achievable now and in the coming years.
Wolfware will be closed on Bank Holiday Monday and will re-open for trading on Tuesday 9am-5pm. It will be closed on Wednesday 4th May until 1pm while a stock take is in progress. Cullen said of the players decision "Brent is an outstanding threequarter he has proven versatility and a willingness to play out of position and he has made the fullback position his own. "He has always been part of my plans,because now that the three overseas spots are at a premium we have to make sure that the players in these positions operate the way we want then to.
Martin Gleeson is relishing the prospect of playing against his old team mates at the Friday night game via Saints at Knowsley Road. Although expecting a tough game he is confident Wire can pull of a win.
27th April. RD 12 Team News Paul Cullen has named a squad of 20 to face St Helens on Friday evening in Round 12 of the engage Super League. 1. Brent Grose 2. Henry Fa'afili 3. Martin Gleeson 4. Toa Kohe Love 5. Dean Gaskell 6. Lee Briers 7. Nathan Wood 8. Chris Leikvoll 9. Jon Clarke 10. Mark Hilton 11. Logan Swann 12. Mike Wainwright 13. Paul Noone 14. Mark Gleeson 15. Ben Westwood 16. Paul Wood 17. Danny Lima 18. Graham Appo 22. Steve Pickersgill 25. Chris Bridge INJURY NEWS: 19. Daryl Cardiss - hamstring/back pre-season injury sustained pre-Boxing Day friendly v Widnes (26/12/04) 21. Simon Grix - fractured fibula/ankle socket, dislocated ankle and torn ligaments sustained in U21s grading fixture v Leeds Rhinos (26/02/05) 26. Nicky Royle - knee injury sustained in an U21s match ON LOAN: 20. Warren Stevens U21s: 23. Andrew Bracek.
Cullens Comment Coach Paul Cullen gives his view on the win over Hull at the weekend and looks towards this Fridays clash with St Helens at Knowsley Road, Kick-Off 8pm Live on Sky Sports. A GREAT GAME AT THE WEEKEND, BUT WILL FUTURE GAMES COME WITH A HEALTH WARNING? We don't mind giving full value for money and the quality of our last two opponents at the Halliwell Jones Stadium guarantees at some point that they will hit a purple patch and score some points. The improvement mentally to withstand such situations is visible and now a matter of record. I don't think anyone has nilled Bradford or Hull this year and I don't expect anyone to do so.
Phil Berry has been released from his contract with the club after being found guilty of providing a sample containing the prohibited substance nandrolone
24th April. Warrington 36 Hull 34 . Hull went into a 6-0 lead early on Wire fought back and led 34 - 12 with 15 minutes to go, Hull staged a fantastic comeback to lead 30-34 with 4 minutes to go, then Nathan Wood kicked through kicked again and Graham Appo finished off with a try, Chris Bridge who taken over the goal kicking gave Wire a 2 point victory. Said Paul Cullen : "I didn't think at any time we had blown it. "What I've seen in our four victories is character that has not been present for a considerable time. "Hull are a genuine top-four team and to come back and play quality football like that is nothing short of remarkable." Cullen paid tribute to scrum-half Nat Wood and said: "He was never going to come off the field with any energy left and physically and mentally he is one of the toughest competitors I've seen. "All 34 players deserve congratulations because to play quality rugby in that heat was sensational." Cullen added Lee Briers retired in the first half with a hamstring strain and also singled out Danny Lima, Graham Appo and Mike Wainwright. Warrington (18) 36. Tries: Fa'afili 3, Grose, Westwood, Appo 2. Goals: Appo, Bridge 3.Hull (12) 34. Tries: Briscoe, Eagar, Whiting, Cooke, Kearney, King. Goals: Brough 2, Cooke 3.Att: 10,353.
19th April. It is expected that Logan Swann will return for the Wire on Sunday as they take on Hull FC at the Halliwell Jones KO 3pm, Swann has missed 3 of the Wires games which resulted in wins, lets hope this is just a coincidence, with Mark Gleeson returning from illness and with no injuries picked up against Wakefield Paul Cullen is expectinmg to have all his big men available for the Hull game. It promises to be a nerve racking encounter as I am sure Hull will be looking to improve on last weeks result when they were very lucky to get a draw at Hilton Park against bottom of the table Leigh. Paul Cullen commenting on Swann Said " Logan was in fantastic form before he got the ankle injury and we are a better team when we have our big players in the team"
Rd 11 Team News Wolves coach Paul Cullen has named a squad of 20 to face Hull FC on Sunday in Round 11 of the engage Super League. 1. Brent Grose 2. Henry Fa'afili 3. Martin Gleeson 4. Toa Kohe Love 5. Dean Gaskell 6. Lee Briers 7. Nathan Wood 8. Chris Leikvoll 9. Jon Clarke 10. MarkHilton 11. Logan Swann 12. Mike Wainwright 13. Paul Noone 14. Mark Gleeson 15. Ben Westwood 16. Paul Wood 17. Danny Lima 18. Graham Appo 22. Steve Pickersgill * 25. Chris Bridge INJURY NEWS: 19. Daryl Cardiss - hamstring/back pre-season injury sustained pre-Boxing Day friendly v Widnes (26/12/04) 21. Simon Grix - fractured fibula/ankle socket, dislocated ankle and torn ligaments sustained in U21s grading fixture v Leeds Rhinos (26/02/05) U21s 23. Andrew Bracek 26. Nicky Royle
Ticketing Update Tickets are now available from the Wolves club shop for the away Super League tie at St Helens on Friday 29th April, 8:00pm KO. Ground tickets are priced £14 for adults and £8 for concessions, which is a £1 reduction on their normal matchday admission prices. Main stand seats are available by contacting St Helens direct on: 0870 756 5252. Please note that St Helens do not offer student concession on matchhday and therefore must be purchased in advance. For further details or to purchase tickets please contact the ticket hotline on: (01925) 248888
Stevens on Loan Warrington Wolves prop Warren Stevens, 26 has gone on an initial one month's loan to Leigh Centurions.
17th April. Wakefield 28 Warrington 40. Wire made it 3 wins on the trot at Wakefield.Warrington Tries ;Lee Briers 2, Jon Clarke, Ben Westwood 2, Henry Faa'fili, Mike Wainwright, Nathan Wood Goals;Lee Briers 3, Chris Bridge Wakefield: Tries: Ben Jeffries 2, Mark Applegarth, Kevin King, Olivier Elima Goal: Julian O'Neill 4 .HT 16-18.Attn 5,129 Teams Wire 1 Brent Grose, 2 Henry Fa'afili, 3 Martin Gleeson, 4 Toa Kohe-Love, 18 Graham Appo, 6 Lee Briers (C), 7 Nathan Wood, 8 Chris Leikvoll, 9 Jon Clarke, 10 Mark Hilton, 15 Ben Westwood, 12 MikeWainwright, 13 PaulNoone Subs (all used) 25 Chris Bridge, 16 Paul Wood, 17DannyLima, 22 Steve Pickersgill, WILDCATS 21 Mark Field, 24 Sylvain Houles, 3 Jason Demetriou (C), 19 Kevin King, 5 Semi Tadulala, 26 Julian O'Neill, 7 Ben Jeffries, 8 Darrell Griffin, 14 Sam Obst, 10 Michael Korkidas, 18 0livier Elima, 22 Mark Applegarth, 12 JamieField Subs (all used) 9 David March 15 David Wrench 16 Steve Snitch 25 Andy Kirk
16th April. Lee Briers reached a personal milestone against the Bradford Bulls, Briers and the Wire put on the best performance of the year to beat Bradford 35-32 . Lee reached 1,516 points for the club and goes level with former Wire fullback Derek Whitehead. Full list here
14th April.Following a positive and productive meeting between engage Super League Coaches and Referees in Huddersfield last night (Wednesday), the following adjustments to the Referees’ On Field Policy have been made.
1. Dissent– Referees will manage situations involving dissent. Players should be aware of the possible consequences of approaching the referee aggressively while referees’ will take into account the context of the game before taking action.
2. ‘Leg Tackles’– The practice, whereby second or third players join the tackle in order to lift the leg of the ball carrier, has, in some cases, resulted in the ball carrier being lifted off the ground. As soon as this happens the referee will call ‘held’. If the ball carrier at any time in the process of the tackle is lifted ‘beyond the horizontal’, the tackling team will be penalised.
3. Persistent High Tackles– Where there is a run of penalties for tackles in which there is contact with ball carrier’s neck or head that do not individually warrant dismissal, the referee will warn the defending team captain that any further high tackles not warranting dismissal will result in a player being ‘sin binned’ for persistent offending. This does not take away the responsibility of the referee to dismiss players where it is warranted.
4. Dominant Tackles– Where a player in possession dives into a tackle in order to gain a quick play-the-ball, or where a player in possession drops to the floor when held in an upright tackle in order to gain an advantage at the play-the-ball, the referee will call ‘dominant’. This will allow the defenders time to stabilise the play-the-ball so that any advantage to be gained by this practice is nullified. In essence, the defender will be allowed slightly longer in the tackle.
Afterwards Stuart Cummings, the Rugby Football League’s Match Officials Director, said: “This meeting between the engage Super League club coaches, match officials, matchcommissioners and video referees was conducted in a very positive manner and there were valuable contributions from every area of the meeting. “The spirit of co-operation generated in this meeting, which is the second of four meetings of its kind planned for 2005, will ensure that engage Super League X continues to go from success to further success. “We’re seeing unprecedented levels of excitement and entertainment on the pitch and we trust that this will continue.” Stuart Cummings Match Officials Director
Rd 10 Team News Paul Cullen has named his initial 20 man squad to face Wakefield Trinity Wildcats this Sunday at the Atlantic Solutions Stadium. 1. Brent Grose 2. Henry Fa'afili 3. Martin Gleeson 4. Toa Kohe Love 6. Lee Briers 7. Nathan Wood 8. Chris Leikvoll 9. Jon Clarke 10. Mark Hilton 11. Logan Swann 12. Mike Wainwright 13. Paul Noone 14. Mark Gleeson 15. Ben Westwood 16. Paul Wood 17. Danny Lima 18. Graham Appo 20. Warren Stevens 22. Steve Pickersgill 25. Chris Bridge
INJURY NEWS: 19. Daryl Cardiss - hamstring/back pre-season injury sustained pre-Boxing Day friendly v Widnes (26/12/04) 21. Simon Grix - fractured fibula/ankle socket, dislocated ankle and torn ligaments sustained in U21s fixture v Leeds Rhinos (26/02/05) U21s 5. Dean Gaskell 23. Andrew Bracek 26. Nicky Royle
LOGAN Swann could return to the Wire line-up at Wakefield on Sunday after three weeks out injured. He is expected to be named in Wires squad for the Wakefield game after recovering from an ankle injury in the defeat at Salford on 'Good' Friday, but coach Paul Cullen is not certain to put him back in the team before he is ready. Swann, with Henry Fa'afili has been left out of theNew Zealand's squad for their Anzac Test against Australia after playing in last year's Tri-Nations Series,Swann had damaged the ankle against St Helens, and Cullen does not want another setback. He said: "Logan has a chance of playing but we need to err on the side of caution. We have a long season ahead of us, and when he comes back we hope it will be for the rest of the season and not justfor one game." But even if Swann passes the medical tests, his selection is by no means certain after Wolves put in a brilliant performance on Sunday to beat Bradford Bulls 35-32. . He said: "There's a very good chance we might be able to name the same side, but, if fit, Logan gives me a very positive option." Swann is the last of Wolves' big hitters to reach fitness, with Paul Wood, Mark Hiltpn, Nathan Wood, Chril Leikvoll, Toa Kohe-Love and Paul Noone all having made comebacks in recent weeks, and Cullen says that that game shows how the big men were missed. He said: "The second half against Salford was our darkest hour this season without a doubt, when we had a front row of Andy Bracek, Mark Gleeson and Steve Pickersgill taking on a tough, powerful side. "If you gave me a chance to turn the clock back I'd take a one-point wfti anytime, but it could be a defining moment for us. "That was an awful Easter, but to then beat Widnes in such style was a mark of character, and I've been proud of the way we've handled ourselves the coaching staff and the players haven't buckled when the pressure has been almost intolerable at times." The Salford match seemed a distant memory as Wolves flew ahead against Bradford, even if they had to fight hard to prevent Bulls doing a St Helens and winning the game in the last minutes. Cullen said: "I thought we were the far more adventurous side and 29-4 on the hour was a significant piece of work. "We knew at some point we would have to weather a storm and we did, but I always thought that we'd done enough." However, the Wolves chief is wary of the possibility of an 'After the Lord Mayor's Show' performance against Wakefield, who have lost five of their last six games, with the only win in that period coming at leaders Leeds Rhinos. "There's always the danger of that, purely because of the effort put in against Widnes, Leeds and Bradford, and we have to force ourselves through those fatigue issues," he said. "We know what Wakefield are capable of when they can sniff a win they smelt one against Rhinos and really went for the throat - and we have to make sure we don't give them any signals that they have a chance of winning." More available here.
TICKETS are on sale for a sportsman's dinner to raise money for poorly ex-Warrington Rugby League Club player Mike Gregory. The event will take place at The Halliwell Jones Stadium on April 30. Every penny raised will go to the Wlgan coach. Paul Cullen will be among the top table guests, and there will be full tables of players from Wolves, Wlgan and Wldnes. Tickets are priced £35 and are available from Fisher Promotions on (01925) 414123.
10th April. Wire started in great fashion as Nathan Wood outfoxed the Bulls defence to score a try after 7 minutes Briers goaled to put Wire in front, Bradford hit back almost straight away through Brad Meyers ,Deacon missed the goal, two tries from Brent Grose and one from Henry Fa'afilli put Wire 23-4 up at half time.A try from Martin Gleeson opened the second half followed by 3 Bradford tries before Martin Gleeson got his second put the game on a knife edge. Further pressure from Bradford brought them within 3 points of the Wire before the hooter sounded much to the relief of the majority in the 10,654 crown , Martin Gleeson got the man of the match award to round of a superb win for the Wire.Warrington tries:Wood, Fa'afilli, Grose 2, Martin Gleeson 2, Goals Briers 4 Drops 2. Bradford tries,Vainikolo 2, Langley 2, Withers, Myers.Goals:Deacon 4. HT 23-4. attn 10,654. Teams Warrington Grose, Fa'afilli, M. Gleeson, Kohe-Love, Appo, Briers, N. Wood, Leikvoll, M. Gleeson, Hilton, Westwood, Wainwright, Clarke. Replacements: Noone, P. Wood, Pickersgill, Lima. Bradford Withers, Reardon, Langley, L. Pryce, Vainikolo, Harris, Deacon, Vagana, Paul, Fielden, Peacock, Meyers, Radford. Replacements: K. Pryce, Lynch, Parker, Ferres.
8th April . Paul Cullen has named a 20 man squad to face the Bradford Bulls this Sunday, kick-off 3pm. 1. Brent Grose 2. Henry Fa'afili 3. Martin Gleeson 4. Toa Kohe Love 5. Dean Gaskell 6. Lee Briers 7. Nathan Wood 8. Chris Leikvoll 9. Jon Clarke 10. Mark Hilton 12. Mike Wainwright 13. Paul Noone 14. Mark Gleeson 15. Ben Westwood 16. Paul Wood 17. Danny Lima 18. Graham Appo 20. Warren Stevens 22. Steve Pickersgill 25. Chris Bridge INJURY NEWS: 11. Logan Swann - ankle injury sustained in Rnd7 v Salford (25/03/05) 19. Daryl Cardiss - hamstring/back pre-season injury sustained pre-Boxing Day friendly v Widnes (26/12/04) 21. Simon Grix - fractured fibula/ankle socket, dislocated ankle and torn ligaments sustained in U21s grading fixture v Leeds Rhinos (26/02/05.
Trevor Foster As a mark of respect at the death of the great Trevor Foster there is an online Book of Condolence http://www.rlhalloffame.org.uk/foster.htm at the Virtual Rugby League Hall of Fame site. I hope you can find time to leave a message here and perhaps pass this link on to as many people as possible.
7th April.PAUL Cullen is demanding that his Warrington Wolves side go for victory against Bradford Bulls on Sunday after insisting 'There's no glory in defeat'. The Warrington coach's comments come after they suffered a fourth round exit from the Powergen Challenge Cup on Saturday with a narrow 26-22 defeat at Leeds Rhinos. And although Cullen was pleased with his side's battling performance against the world club champions, he believes his side should not consider any defeat to be satisfactory, with this weekend's return to Super League action against Bradford at The Halliwell Jones Stadium firmly in mind. "People were still expecting a cricket score against us when we played Leeds, but we wouldn't allow that to happen, and we can take confidence from that," he said. "But we were bitterly disappointed we lost the match, and we don't view a four-point loss against Leeds at Headingley in the Challenge Cup as an acceptable performance. "We know we've got to be smarter and tougher against Bradford to win the game, and that's our aim. We go into the game looking for the two points." Bradford currently lie in sixth place after a relatively disappointing start to the season, but an outfit that have reached the last four Super League Grand Finals still pose a huge threat to Wolves, having not lost any of the sides' last nine meetings. However, Cullen is adamant that Warrington can overturn them, in an indication that he still has high hopes this season. He said: "I've got no doubt in my mind and neither have my players that this match is winnable. "We are determined to get ourselves back into the top six that is our goal set from now on in. "Earlier in the season we were looking at top six and beyond, and that's not out of the question, but our focus is getting ourselves out of the bottom six." Cullen is not prepared to comment on reports that talented Melbourne Storm half back Matt Orford has been offered terms to join Warrington next season, but he did admit that Wolves' current league position could hamper their bid to tempt some players to the club. He said: "It's something that I have been aware of since I came back to the club, and we know in negotiations over the last couple of years that it has been a factor in a number of our unsuccessful bids. "We are attempting to attract international players to this club, and the higher placed we are, the more chance we've got of doing it." Cullen, who has allowed Jamie Durbin to join Widnes on loan with a view to a permanent move, also explains that his decision to relieve Lee Briers of the kicking duties at Leeds was an attempt to take some pressure off the skipper, whose confidence was dented after five misses against Widnes. However, Briers' goal-kicking replacement Chris Bridge has flu and is unlikely to play against his former club, although another option could be Paul Noone, who should be named in Wolves' 20-man squad alongside Toa Kohe-Love even though a final decision on their fitness is still to be made. Noone has not played since February's defeat at Hull due to a knee injury, while Kohe-Love missed the Leeds trip because of a shoulder problem. For the 3pm kick-off, Wolves are expected to choose from: Brent Grose, Henry Fa'afili, Martin Gleeson, Toa Kohe-Love, Dean Gaskell, Lee Briers, Nathan Wood, Mark Hilton, Mark Gleeson, Paul Wood, Mike Wainwright, Ben Westwood, Jon Clarke, Chris Leikvoll, Danny Lima, Graham Appo, Paul Noone, Chris Bridge, Warren Stevens.
MARK Hilton feels that tackling the beefy Bulls after being squeezed out of the Powergen Challenge Cup by Super League's number one club should hold no fear for Warrington Wolves. And this week he posed the question: "What are Bradford going to do against us more than what Leeds did?" The prop forward added: "On Saturday we went to Leeds, who are the world champions, and lost by four points. Like Paul Cullen said, if we had been smarter in one or two areas we'd have took that game." Hilton, who is nicknamed Beast, continued: "It will be tough against Bradford, but there are no easy games as the season has shown so far. We've just got to battle it out in each game. "I don't think Bradford's form has been as good as in the past, and they've lost a few games this year. "Regardless of who we are playing, we need to start getting some points now and get clear of the bottom half of the table. "I don't want to get in a dogfight worrying about relegation. We want to be thinking about getting in the top six." Beast, who is now in his 12th season with Wolves and yet to pick up any sort of winner's medal, has Great Britain Academy, England and Lancashire Origin experience under his belt. And while he would not have chosen to celebrate his 30th birthday by losing out to Leeds in the cup, he is experienced and professional enough to not allow himself to feel despondent about the exit when there is such a fight in store on Sunday. He also does not want the team's confidence, which was built up from the record victory over Widnes on March 29, to melt on the back of the defeat at Headingley. He said: "We didn't help ourselves at Leeds with the amount of errors we made and penalties we conceded, although Leeds did the same. "It was just a matter of who was going to break first, and it was us. "We just couldn't pull the deficit back completely late on. "But we have to take some positives from that perform-ance and we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves. "That was a far better per-formance than in a handful of games that we've played in so far this year. "And to turn round in a week from the Salford debacle to that we've got to maintain the confidence we've built up and kick on rather than beat ourselves up, which is what we were doing at half time and at full time at Headingley." Source Warrington Guardian Mike Parsons
2nd April. Leeds 26 Warrington 22 A supurb display by Wire was just not enough to defeat Leeds ,the game itself should hopefully kickstarts Wires SL season.Leeds swept into a 10-0 lead in just 10 minutes, Wire however refused to submit and took the lead 10-12 a last minute try finished the feirst half and leeds went in 16-12 ahead.Nathan Wood scored two opportunist tries off Lee Briers kicks, but Leeds just held on to win after Wire knocked on just 5 metres from the line as the hooter sounded.The only sour point to the afternoon was Steve Ryder who just had to mention rugby union and Andy Farrell.Teams Warrington: Grose, Faa'fili, M. Gleeson, Bridge, Gaskell, Briers, N. Wood, Hilton, M. Gleeson, Westwood, P. Wood, Wainwright, Clarke. Replacements: Leikvoll, Lima, Appo, Stevens. Leeds: Mathers, Calderwood, Walker, Senior, Bai, Sinfield, Burrow, Bailey, Dunemann, Ward, Jones-Buchanan, McKenna, Ellis. Replacements: Botham, Poching, Scruton, McGuire. Wire Tries: N.Wood (2), Clarke, Westwood Goals: Bridge (3)Ht 16-12 Leeds Tries: Burrow (2), McKenna, Calderwood, Walker Goals: Sinfield (3). attn 8,215
1st April Teams Challenge Cup 2nd April 2:30pm : Warrington: Grose, Faa'fili, M. Gleeson, Gaskell, Briers, N. Wood, Leikvoll, Clarke, Hilton, Wainwright, M. Gleeson, Westwood, P. Wood, Lima, Appo, Stevens, Pickersgill, Bridge
.Leeds: Mathers, Calderwood, Walker, Senior, Bai, McGuire, Burrow, Bailey, McKenna, Sinfield, Dunemann, Ward, Poching, Jones-Buchanan, Botham, Ellis, Smith, Scruton.
Cullens Comment Paul Cullen comments on the Easter fixtures against Salford and Widnes and looks towards this weekends Challenge Cup fourth round tie at Headingley. CONGRATULATIONS ON THE TWO POINTS AGAINST WIDNES, WHERE YOU HAPPY WITH THE PERFORMANCE DISPLAYED? Not entirely but that should not detract from the effort. Widnes did not come here to lose in that manner, but four first half tries chipped away at their resolve. We were confident that if we could handle their early energy we could open them up later on. We were patient and that was rewarded. DO YOU FEEL THAT THE PLAYERS ANSWERED THEIR CRITICS IN PARTICULAR HENRY FA'AFILI WITH HIS TWO TRIES? Our focus is simply to improve the performance and confidence of every individual player and I believe that we are making progress in doing that. Our second half performance against Salford was simply unacceptable, across the board and our performance against Widnes was our attempt to correct that. GOING BACK TO THE SALFORD MATCH WHAT WAS THE REASONING BEHIND KEEPING THE PLAYERS ON THE PITCH AFTER THE GAME? Our original plan was to stretch down post game and then travel to a post game training session, which we did. We thanked our supporters received their opinions and did not hide. WHAT DID YOU SAY TO THEM AFTER WITNESSING THAT PERFORMANCE? I reminded them, that if we don't fight we don't win.
Wire have been linked witha move for Matt Orford the talented Melbourne Storm player who is out of contact at the end of the season, the 26 year old came third last year in the NRL player of the year voting Wire CEO Andrew Gatcliffe confirmed that Orfoed is one of the players Wire are looking at.