December 2006
28th December.Adrian Morley has been the victim of theft to the tune of £109,930 from his former sports agent and financial advisor Nicholas Fowler aged 46 of Daresbury near Warrington.He is accused of stealing the money from Mr Morley between August 2000 and December 2001, the case has been adjourned until January 30th the case could start in April, Fowler was remanded on bail.
26th December. Widnes (6) 6 v Warrington (36) 62. The Wire FM Boxing Day Challenge clash between these two old protagonists went the way of The Wire after Widnes won 24-18 at The Halliwell Jones Stadium last year.
Widnes: Tries: Yates1, Goals: Nanyn 1, Warrington: Tries Grose1, Reardon 2, Briers1, Johnson1, Riley 2, Grix1, Barnett 1, Mark Gleeson 1,Kevin Penny 1. Goals: Briers:7, Bridge 1,
Teams.Wire: Stuart Reardon; Chris Riley, Paul Johnson, Brent Grose, Richie Barnett; Chris Bridge, Lee Briers; Paul Rauhihi, Mike Sullivan, Steve Pickersgill, Ben Westwood, Mike Wainwright, Simon Grix. Subs used: Mark Gleeson, Andy Bracek, Ben Harrison, Anthony Rourke, Kevin Penny.
Widnes: Scott Grix; Scott Yates, Andy Kirk, Mick Nanyn, Damien Blanch; Paul Crook, Andy Kain; Mike Morrison, lan Webster, Jordan James, Mick Cassidy, Lee Doran, Paul Noone. Subs used: Martin Keavney, Adam Sidlow, Rob Draper, Dayne Donoghue, Danny Smith.. Attendance: 4,955
25th December.New Warrington signing Paul Johnson is looking forward to returning to action in the Boxing Day clash with Widnes. Johnson made the switch from Bradford to the Wolves after an injury-hit season which cost him a place in the Great Britain Tri-Nations squad. "I feel really fresh because I haven't played since September and I'm raring to go," he told BBC Sport. "Usually I get a month off after the internationals but this is the longest break I've had in about eight years." Johnson is one of three big signings made by Warrington coach Paul Cullen but neither Vinnie Anderson nor Adrian Morley will be involved in the local derby at the Halton Stadium. Elbow and ankle injuries and a bout of food poisoning restricted Johnson to just 11 appearances for the Bulls last season, after he had helped Brian Noble's side to Grand Final victory over Leeds in 2005. Although best known as a second-rower, Johnson has been named at centre by Cullen to face the Vikings, but the 28-year-old is not fazed by the prospect of playing in a different position. "It's about a year and a half since I last played at centre but it's where I started my career and is my favourite position. I think over time I've been made into a back-rower," he said. "I think I've been signed primarily as a centre but if I'm needed to play in the back row then I can move there and solve a problem. "It's definitely a strength of mine that I can switch from centre to wing to back row instantly. When I was younger it used to be a weakness but I don't see it like that now. "I'm happy to be going back to playing centre - it might help me keep my looks because it's not as physical as in the forwards." Nor is Johnson concerned about being back in action while the Christmas celebrations are still in full swing. "When I was at Wigan we played St Helens on Boxing Day but it's been about five years since I played over the Christmas period," he said. "But even though you can't relax as much as usual and it will be a light dinner rather than the two dinners I normally have, it is part of your job. "Widnes won when Warrington played them on Boxing Day last year and there is plenty of local pride at stake. "We are certainly taking the game seriously and we are putting a strong team out."
Widnes (from): Blanch, Cassidy, Donoghue, Doran, Draper, Gaskell, Grix, James, Kain, Kirk, Kohe-Love, Keavney, Morrison, Nanyn, Noone, Price, Sidlow, Strong, Summers,Webster, Yates. Warrington: Reardon, Riley, Grose, Johnson, Barnett, Bridge, Briers (capt), Rauhihi, Sullivan, Leikvoll, Westwood, Wainwright, Grix Subs: 14. Kevin Penny 15. Mark Gleeson 16. Andrew Bracek 17. Steve Pickersgill 18. Ben Harrison
Johnson facts
Date of birth: 25/11/78
Previous clubs: Wigan, Bradford Honours:
1998 Grand Final, 2002 Challenge Cup (with Wigan);
2004 World Club Challenge,
2005 Challenge Cup (with Bradford);
13 Great Britain caps
21st December.Adrian Morley, Paul Wood and Martin Gleeson will not play against Widnes but ex-Wolves Toa Kohe-Love, Paul Noone and Dean Gaskell are all set to make their Widnes debuts. Tickets are available at £12 for adults and £6 for concessions.Team v Widnes 1. Stuart Reardon 2. Chris Riley 3. Brent Grose 4. Paul Johnson 5. Richie Barnett 6. Chris Bridge 7. Lee Briers (C) 8. Paul Rauhihi 9. Mike Sullivan 10. Chris Leikvoll 11. Ben Westwood 12. Mike Wainwright 13. Simon Grix Subs: 14. Kevin Penny 15. Mark Gleeson 16. Andrew Bracek 17. Steve Pickersgill 18. Ben Harrison
The laying of the new new Halliwell Jones Stadium pitch will be delayed until the first week in January after the recent poor weather prevented the work taking place two weeks ago. A thicker turf will now be used to allow the grass to bed in more quickly and the club remain confident that the pitch will be ready for the first home game on February 18 th.
The Wire game at Wakefield on the 24th March has been put back a day to Sunday 25th KO 6.05pm.
13th December. The game scheduled for 7th January against Bradford Bulls has been cancelled, it is not expected to be rearranged.
Wolves Face Stern Boxing Day Test Preparations for the 2007 super league are now well under way, and with the new season just around the corner the Wolves are rearing to go. But before any super league action can take place, the Wolves must first contest the Wire FM challenge cup with old rivals Widnes Vikings. The match, dubbed as a friendly, is likely to be anything but if past occasions are anything to go by. Widnes, now in the LHF Division One, will have something to prove against the Wolves so expect an intense atmosphere and an action packed encounter. On a more personal level the Boxing day clash sees the renewal of old friendships, fan favourite Henry Fa'afili will line up against his close friend and ex wolf Toa Kohe -Love. The pair spent two successful seasons together at the Halliwell Jones, forming a good relationship both on and off the pitch and Fa'afili is excited about the prospect of playing against him: "Me and Toa have been friends for a while now, it will be different seeing him playing against me, but at the same time I've played against many of my Friends - you just have to enjoy it." Fa'afili has been recovering from a groin operation back in his native New Zealand. "The injury is fine, I'm fully fit and ready to go." He was also quick to mention that the Wolves have made some exciting signings this season, and he is certainly not alone in his belief that 2007 could be a big year for the Warrington Wolves. All in all everything seems to be in place for a successful season at the Halliwell Jones, and nothing more so than, the seamless transition that Great Britain second rower Paul Johnson has made following his transfer from the Bradford Bulls. Paul is delighted with the stadium and facilities, stating that among other things the gym here is excellent. Paul too is relishing life with his new club and can't wait for the new season to start. Ticketing Information: Warrington Wolves are now selling tickets for their clash with the Vikings in the Wire FM Boxing Day Challenge at the Halton Stadium. Book your place on 01925 248888 or online: www.wolfwareonline.com Prices for the East Stand (behind the sticks) are £12.00 for adults and £6.00 for concessions. Source wolfmail
9th December. Lloyds TSB will sponsor Adrian Morley, they will also sponsor the players tunnel which will add a new dimension to match days.The bank will also sponsor the in goal area with the banks logo. As a way of launching the partnership two local branches will be holding a shirt launch on Tuesday 12, December. Players will be in attendance at the Time Square branch between 2pm and 3pm, and at the Town Hill between 3pm and 4pm.
The club have won yet another award it is the Engage Partnership Award for 2006, all aspects of running an engage Super League club, from stadium branding to community work, the Wire topped the table out of all 12 engage Super League clubs from 2006.
Tina Clare, Sponsorship Manager for engage Mutual Assurance said, 'Over the course of the 2006 season all of the engage Super League clubs have worked tirelessly in order to make the competition as a whole a huge success. This award highlights the efforts of a club who have contributed massively to this success both in the game of Rugby League and in their local area. I would like to congratulate the Warrington Wolves club in receiving this award and I look forward to working with all 12 clubs again in engage Super League XII."
Sean Mellor, Community Development Manager at the Wolves commented, "It is always nice to be recognised for the work we have done over the course of the year. I would like to thank everyone at the Warrington club for all the hard work they have done in 2006 and engage Mutual Assurance for recognising our efforts."
8th December. Squad for first two friendlies over the festive period : Brent Grose, Henry Fa'afili, Stuart Reardon, Lee Briers, Michael Sullivan, Chris Leikvoll, Jon Clarke, Mite Wainwright, Mark Gleeson, Ben Westwood, Richie Barnett, Rob Parker, Paul Rauhini, Simon Grix, Steve Pickersgill, Andy Bracek, Chris Riley, Chris Bridge, Ben Harrison, Michael Cooper, Kevin Penny, Paul Johnson.
Paul Johnson will probably play at Widnes altoough Adrian Morley and Vinnie Anderson, Martin Gleeson and Paul Wood will not.
4th December. Reports in Rugby League World that Canberra Raiders have signed Brent Grose is not correct Brent is a Wire player until at least the end of 2007 and has already started training with the squad.
1st December. PRESS RELEASE Buy Your Millennium Magic Warrington Wolves’ tickets for Cardiff “Millennium Magic” game against Salford will go on sale on Monday 4th December. The Wolves will face the Reds on Sunday 6th May at 4.00pm. To claim your 50% discount on your tickets for this match, please bring the ‘Rugby League Events Voucher A” from your 2007 season ticket book to Wolfware when booking your ticket. The Wolves are taking the orders and payment for this match, but tickets will be posted out by the RFL. Reserved seating is in the middle tier, whilst the rest of the stadium will be unreserved. If any supporters require disabled tickets then they can be ordered via the RFL ticket hotline 0870 9901313.
Season Ticket Prices are applicable only to Warrington RLFC season ticket holders.
Prices are as follows:
Tickets purchased for the Wire v Salford 4.00 pm match also gives you access to the following matches:
Huddersfield v Wakefield 2.00pm
Bradford v Leeds 6.00pm
If purchasing a weekend ticket you will also be able to watch on the Saturday:
Catalan v Harlequins 3.00pm
Hull FC v Hull KR 5.00pm
St Helens v Wigan 7.00pm