STEVE Price said it was ‘hard to take’ how his Warrington Wolves side started Monday night’s Super League Round 6 clash with Huddersfield Giants.

The Wire, looking to ‘put smiles on faces’ as they welcomed fans back to The Halliwell Jones Stadium for the first time in 437 days as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, trailed 12-0 in as many minutes and it got worse before the break.

They produced a remarkable turnaround but the comeback fell short in a 26-20 defeat and Price blamed his players for not slowing down Huddersfield at the play-the-ball area early on.

He also felt Huddersfield’s second try was dubious as the visitors got on a roll and credited his men for getting themselves back into a position to potentially win the game.

“It was disappointing with the first 20 minutes. That wasn’t a reflection of how we’d been playing the past couple of weeks,” he said.

“Ruck speed was way too fast for us and that was a reflection of where we were at half time being 20-0 down.

“I thought the boys showed a lot of character in the second half to get back into it and have an opportunity to win the game at the back end.

“So showing a lot of character was pleasing and we played some reasonable footy off the back of the effort areas that weren’t there in the first bit.

“It just goes to show that when we apply ourselves and the application to our detail is where it needs to be we’re a hard team to beat.

“Tidying up those areas which we spoke about at half-time, which we did, we got within two points at the back end of the game.

“It goes to show we’ve got points in us. Defeat was a reflection of the start which is hard to take.”

He added: “It was a big turning point on Huddersfield’s second try on that left side with an obstruction around Stef Ratchford.

“With it being a Sky game I thought it might have gone upstairs (to the video referee) but it wasn’t to be.

“But we deserved what we got in that first 20 minutes.”

Price made a surprise selection in leaving Greg Inglis at full-back and placing regular number one Stefan Ratchford in the centres on his return from a groin niggle, though he switched their roles at half time.

Three minutes into the second period Inglis bagged The Wire’s first try but he left the field soon after with a hamstring injury.

“It was just a change on the run which I felt was the way to go,” Price said about his half-time change.

“GI’s not too bad. We’ll have to assess him during the week, it’s still a bit early.

“He was just starting to find a bit of rhythm after having been out of the game so long.

“He scored a good try for us and it was unfortunate.

“That’s the game that it is and knowing Greg he will do everything he can in his prep. He’ll look after himself and we’ll see where we get to.”

Prop Mike Cooper shone on his night as captain, with regular skipper Jack Hughes absent through a one-game suspension, and he felt Sitaleki Akauola made a valuable pack contribution from the bench.

“Mike’s a proud Warringtonian. He loves this club and town and it’s a shame we couldn’t get the result for him,” said Price.

“I thought Sitaleki had some good moments in that second half. He started to change the momentum a little bit too.

“I thought we had opportunities right at the end, like the one with Toby King from the cross-kick which got disallowed.

“We showed a lot of character to still give ourselves a chance to win the game. That’s most pleasing.”

He also liked the try that was finished off by Josh Thewlis and started by Blake Austin’s determined run.

“I thought it was a really good play when Blake dug right into the line and Josh scored in the corner. That’s what we need more of.”

But in the end he was disappointed that the fans were not sent home happy on their big night and could not take his thoughts away from the poor start.

“It was a special day to get our fans back. We’ve got a special group of fans who have been crying out for their fix,” he said.

“Sorry we couldn’t get the win for them on this occasion but it is just great to have fans back in the game.

“We need more of them actions we produced in the second half and transfer that to the first block.”

 

Huddersfield coach Ian Watson was conscious of the impact the Warrington fans could have on the game and knew his side needed a strong start.

“The lads were really good and it was an outstanding win. It’s a big one for us in terms of where we are at the moment,” he said.

“The fact that we have pushed St Helens really close and now beaten Leeds and Warrington, it bodes well for us going forward. We are not the finished article and there is plenty to work on but it’s a step in the right direction.

“We started the game really strongly and were clinical with the ball in the first half.

“In the second half we didn’t start well defensively which saw a momentum swing and it took us a little time to deal with that and get the momentum back.”

The Giants boss praised the atmosphere created by the fans in the stadium, which he thought almost helped to get the Wolves over the line.

Watson added: “We probably needed the good start to make sure the Warrington fans were quiet because they were outstanding and noisy and created a great atmosphere.

“As soon as they got the momentum I think it gave them that extra 10 per cent and they were really lifting them and obviously we had no supporters in the ground so you do worry because it can make a difference in tight games.

“The fact that we kept a clean sheet in the first 40 minutes was massive though because we were under the pump at the back end of the half and I thought we handled that really well.”