TAKING charge of a tight game and pulling away will hopefully do The Wire some good for the weeks ahead.

Steve Price’s men found it difficult at times to shake off a rejuvenated Hull KR side at KCOM Craven Park, as they had done in recent outings to their cost against Catalans Dragons and Wigan Warriors.

Twice Warrington had leads overturned but they finished the game strongest which, with seven players sidelined, is another positive sign ahead of the final round of Super League, the Challenge Cup semi final and the Super 8s.

PRESS CONFERENCE: Steve Price's view on the performance of his Wire team

Leaping above Castleford Tigers into third place could provide some momentumn too.

Past Warrington teams have suffered badly at Craven Park on occasions when Hull KR have been able to get on a roll buoyed by the intimidating Robins supporters.

There was potential for that three minutes into the second half when Robbie Mulhern stretched out to score and nudge Rovers ahead for the second time.

Wolves looked a little ropey for a spell but two tries in four minutes from Tyrone Roberts, finishing off Daryl Clark’s break, and Toby King from a nicely worked narrow-side scrum move turned the tide.

Rovers still managed to reduce the gap to two points again with a converted try from Chris Atkin going into the final quarter.

But Kevin Brown glided over from first receiver and Dec Patton benefited from Joe Philbin’s scattering drive in the space of five minutes to consign Hull KR to a scrap for their Super League future in the Middle 8s.

It was pleasing that it was not one man taking responsibility to find a way to win the game but a collective effort.

That said, Roberts pulled the strings in the way a scrum half needs to, and Stefan Ratchford always looked a threat and deserved his first-half try on his 200th Wire appearance.

Not as pleasing was the error count that rose in the first half after making a strong start, allowing Tim Sheens’ men to get a foothold in the game.

Twice possession was lost on the first tackle and it played a part in The Wire not being able to stack pressure on their opponents, something that head coach Steve Price wants to see more of from his team.

Ball control will be crucial in the coming weeks and The Wire must find a way of not giving away cheap possession to sides who are more capable than Hull KR of cashing in on such gifts.

INTERESTING NOTES:

. Stefan Ratchford’s 200th game for Warrington

. Hull KR’s first loss in five matches

. Kevin Brown needs one more try for 150 in his career

. Only Castleford (42-14) have scored more points against Hull KR at the KCOM Stadium this year

. 10th time Wire have scored 30pts or more in a Super League game this year

MATCH FACTS:

Super League Round 22, Friday, July 20, 2018

Hull Kingston Rovers…20 Warrington Wolves…34

Hull KR: Adam Quinlan; Elliot Wallis, Maurice Blair, Junior Vaivai, Will Oakes; Danny McGuire, Chris Atkin; Nick Scruton, Shaun Lunt, Robbie Mulhern, Danny Tickle, James Greenwood, Chris Clarkson. Subs: Mose Masoe, Ben Kavanagh, Lee Jewitt, Liam Salter.

Wolves: Stefan Ratchford; Josh Charnley, Toby King, Mitch Brown, Tom Lineham; Kevin Brown, Tyrone Roberts; Chris Hill, Daryl Clark, Mike Cooper, Harvey Livett, Jack Hughes, George King. Subs: Dec Patton, Sita Akauola, Joe Philbin, Ben Pomeroy.

Scoring: Cooper try, 8mins, Roberts goal, 0-6; Wallis try, 13mins, 4-6; Wallis try, 21mins, 8-6; Ratchford try, 27mins, Roberts goal, 8-12; Mulhern try, 43mins, Tickle goal, 14-12; Roberts try, 49mins, Roberts goal, 14-18; Toby King try, 53mins, 14-22; Atkin try, 58mins, Tickle goal, 20-22; Kevin Brown try, 68mins, Roberts goal, 20-28; Patton try, 73mins, Roberts goal, 20-34.

Penalties: Rovers 4 Wolves 8

Referee: Liam Moore

Attendance: 7,035

Top Man (Guardian readers' poll): Tyrone Roberts