Warrington Wolves 18

Wigan Warriors 40

NO fairytale return to Wilderspool for head coach Paul Cullen.

Warrington Wolves fans turned out in force to welcome home 'Cull' as he led the side at Wilderspool for the first time.

But the supporters found there is no substitute for class as Wigan produced a cull of their own and marched away from Wilderspool with winning points for the second time this season.

They also left Wilderspool having put the final nail in the coffin of Warrington's worst league season on record - based on a percentage of wins gained from games played in a season.

There was typical Cullen grit, passion and pride in the primrose and blue jerseys and for stages of the game they had Wigan rocking.

But the Wolves did not possess the ruthless streak that Wigan exposed and at times their defence was made to look flimsy by the Grand Final hopefuls.

Had Sid Domic stayed on the field the Wolves may have given Wigan a tougher contest.

Had Jon Clarke been able to touch down rather than be held on his back over the try line when the Wolves were 6-0 on top and looking good then it could have been a different story.

But opening try scorer Domic, who had pounced on a Lee Briers kick, left the field in the 18th minute with a knee ligament strain and two minutes later Wigan levelled the game and took over the reins from there.

They went on to build a 24-12 half-time lead and three tries in a nine-minute spell early in the second half completed Wigan's culling.

Warrington, inspired by strong performances from Burns, Jon Clarke and Graham Appo, did not concede defeat and kept a clean sheet for the final 27 minutes.

Cullen has been encouraging his players to attack with more width and the benefits were clear to see in the game.

Appo, making his full home debut despite having been signed by David Plange three months ago, was breathtaking to watch with the ball.

His speed and good footwork led Wigan defenders a merry dance and he fully deserved to score the final try of the game with a fancy dive. It was the Australian's first try for the club.

On the other wing Smyth also revelled in being given the ball with some space in front of him. He skipped round Shaun Briscoe as though he was not there and then had the strength to hold off David Hodgson's desperate lunge for a try that brought Warrington back into the game at 18-12.

But good work like that was undone by some poor defending.

Prop Mark Hilton was handed off all too easily by Terry Newton for Wigan's first try.

No-one picked up Radlinski's usual inside angled run off Adrian Lam quickly enough as he took Wigan 12-6 ahead.

Andy Farrell was able to stand up in a tackle and off-load for Newton to cross for his second.

And there was a lack of urgency and hesitation by Warrington defenders when Mick Cassidy chased his own kick and hack-on for a killer try before half-time.

A poor Mathers kick was costly as Farrell picked out Lam's run for a 30-12 lead.

Wolves were caught out on the short side when Newton, Farrell and Cassidy put Briscoe over for his first Wigan try.

Farrell caught Paul Noone flat-footed when he sped over from close range for the Warriors' final try.

Both kickers were on form. Briers banged over three from three for the Wolves while Julian O'Neill, switched to centre at the last minute due to Wigan's Brian Carney collapsing in the dressing room, kicked six from seven attempts.

Match facts

Super League Round 24,

Monday, August 26, 2002

Warrington Wolves 18

Wigan Warriors 40

SCORERS

Wolves: Tries: Domic (3mins), Smyth (36), Appo (66). Goals: Briers: 3 from 3.

Warriors: Tries: Newton (20mins), Radlinski (26), Newton (30), Cassidy (40+), Lam (44), Briscoe (46), Farrell (53). Goals: O'Neill: 6 from 7.

SCORING RATE: Wolves first: 6-0, 6-6, 6-12, 6-18, 12-18, 12-24, half-time; 12-30, 12-34, 12-40, 18-40.

PENALTIES

Wolves 11 Warriors 4

SCRUMS

Wolves 8 Warriors 6

CONDITIONS: Bright, warm. Pitch: Pristine.

TOP MEN (points to be accumulated throughout the year): Darren Burns 3pts, Jon Clarke 2pts, Graham Appo 1pt.

ATTENDANCE: 6,185

WOLVES

Lee Penny; Rob Smyth, Sid Domic, Richie Mathers, Graham Appo; Lee Briers, Nathan Wood; Dale Laughton, Jon Clarke, Mark Hilton, Jerome Guisset, Paul Marquet, Darren Burns. Subs used: Paul Noone, Dean Busby, Paul Wood, Nick Fozzard.

WARRIORS

Kris Radlinski; Gary Connolly, Julian O'Neill, David Hodgson, Shaun Briscoe; Sean O'Loughlin, Adrian Lam; Harvey Howard, Terry Newton, Craig Smith, Mick Cassidy, David Furner, Andy Farrell. Subs used: Rick Bibey, Danny Tickle, Mark Smith, Brian Carney.

REFEREE: Ian Smith