DELIGHTED Warrington coach Darryl van de Velde praised his side's dedication after beating the Bank (From Warrington Guardian)

DELIGHTED Warrington coach Darryl van de Velde praised his side's dedication after beating the Bank

Speaking after Monday's mauling of Sheffield he paid tribute to his players' fitness levels.

He said: "I was really pleased with our effort especially in the second half when we really drained them. They gave us a couple of soft tries but I was pleased with the effort overall.

"We finished on top and we controlled the ball for long periods to keep them down near their own line which psychologically is very draining.

"Lee Briers came off his line for their try which was disappointing and I was really conscious at half-time that we didn't have to score, but had to work to keep the line intact and we did that really well."

He added that he was pleased with the performance of the returning Jon Roper, who has recovered from the hamstring injury sustained at Salford on Good Friday.

"Jon was really strong and really powerful. If we can get him fit and playing a couple of games back to back he could be a great player."

On-loan Andy Leathem's future at Wilderspool could soon be decided, and based upon the imminent return of injured props Danny Nutley and Mark Hilton.

Van de Velde said: "I will probably make a decision after we determine how Nutley and Hilton fare when they come back into the side and when we find out if they need surgery or not.

"Dean Busby played well today at prop but that's not his position, he's a back rower. He took the ball up strongly and tackled well but the pack's very light without Nutley and Hilton."

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