STUART Barrow said his Warrington Wolves under 19s side's loss to Halifax Reserves highlights areas that need further work

Tries from Fynn Stanley and Joe Pilling proved not to be enough as young Wire fell 16-10 at home to Halifax in a hard-fought pre-season encounter played in heavy conditions at Victoria Park Stadium today.

“It was a very good workout for the lads," said Wolves under 19s head coach Barrow.

"We were able to give a run out to every fit member of the squad and it gave me an opportunity to see how the boys went after a long pre-season.

"We enjoyed the majority of the field position in the first half but our intensity dropped in the second half and that allowed Halifax to hit back and take the spoils.

"There were plenty of positives to take from the game but it also highlighted areas that we still need to work on.

"We have a lot of new faces in the squad this season and it will have done them the world of good to get this game under their belts.

"We will now continue to work really hard in training over the next two weeks to get ourselves ready for our opening league game at home to City of Hull Academy on Saturday 17th February, kick off noon at Victoria Park Stadium.”

The young Wolves got off to a bright start and took the lead in the eighth minute when a lovely long ball from stand off Stanley sent winger Liam Brinksman away and he raced 50 metres down the wing before passing back inside to Stanley who scored wide out.

Then a couple of minutes later it looked as though Halifax had replied but some superb scrambling defence forced centre Jude Corcos to loose the ball over the line.

Warrington continued to be the most likely to add to the scoreboard but some indecision at key times meant that they were unable to add to their tally and they had to settle for a deserved 4-0 half-time advantage.

The visitors pulled level six minutes into the second half when the ball was sent out wide to substitute Myles Harrop and he used his strength to force his way over in the left corner.

Six minutes later fine play by Wolves scrum half Ritchie Westwood saw him take on the line before slipping a great pass to second row Pilling who raced away and rounded the full back with ease to score at the left of the posts. Winger Joe Edge added the conversion.

The Wolves lead was short lived as Halifax responded when they sent the ball out wide to winger Jack Etchells who stepped back inside and managed to ground the ball wide out on the left.

Second row Jordan Syme converted to level matters once again and then 15 minutes from time from a scrum on the Wolves 10-metre line the ball reached Harrop who was held just short but a quick play the ball saw winger Jack Mead burrow over from dummy half. Substitute Stephen Gibbs added the conversion.

The Wolves thought they had hit back late on when hooker Elliott Windley looked to have scored a fine try but the referee adjudged that he had made a ‘double movement’ and the try was ruled out.

Wolves: Riley Dean, Liam Brinksman, Lewis Hall, Liam Jones, Joe Edge, Fynn Stanley, Ritchie Westwood, Matt Heritage, Elliott Windley, Jack Wilson, Cole Oakley, Joe Pilling, Ellis Robson. Subs: Jamie Abram, Jack Wright, Tayler Brown, Lee Dyas, Padraig Anglin-Sheedy, Eribe Doro, Gary McMahon, Leon Harber.

Tries: Stanley (8 mins), Pilling (52).

Goals: Edge, 1 from 2.

Halifax: Kian Morgan, Jack Mead, Jude Corcos, Charlie Frost, Jack Etchells, Kian Oldroyd, Morgan Punchard, Bradley Allen, Chris Cullimore, Connor Hampson, Connor Davies, Jordan Syme, Dewi Billingham. Subs: Robert Jowett, Jamie McCarthy, James Szuluk, Henry Davies, Joshua Wilcock, Kai Williams, Stephen Gibbs, Ellis Nuttall, Myles Harrop, Jack Stevenson.

Tries:Harrop (46 mins), Etchells (56), Mead (65).

Goals: Syme, 1 from 2; Gibbs, 1 from 1.

Referee: Nick Woodward (Warrington).