AS the Warrington Wolves squad return to pre-season training, Steve Price has been reflecting on the year that was.

The Wire players reconvened today, Thursday, following a 12-day break over the Christmas and New Year period.

There are just 30 days until the opening Super League fixture against Leeds Rhinos, and Price gave a hint about what sort of format training will take up in the time that remains between now and then.

As 2019 has now arrived, Price also reflected on a 2018 that saw his side reach – and lose – both major finals.

“It was a successful year for the club,” he said.

“Of course, we are all disappointed that we lost both finals, but we’ve got a really solid foundation from which to move our club forward in 2019.

“It was important that all the players and staff got away from it for a while. It’s a special time of year.

“We’re now back and will work extremely hard to strive for the big one.

“There will be more of a percentage weighted towards team-building and combination work, but we’ll still be working hard.

“We’ll still be stressing the individual, but as we move through the weeks we’ll move more towards team-based training.”

With The Wire’s England international contingent of Chris Hill, Stefan Ratchford and Daryl Clark now back from their post-season break, Price now has the chance to train with his full squad for the first time in pre-season.

Full-back Ratchford and hooker Clark are expected to form part of the team’s creative spine alongside half-backs Kevin Brown and Blake Austin.

Many supporters hope Austin’s arrival will bring about a more expansive style of play and Price says they have been working on “ab-lib” aspects of the game in training.

However, he says a balance must be found between individual preferences and what suits the collective.

“We’ve got a lot of exciting players to field in our key positions in our spine,” he said.

“It’s important that we find a style that suits individuals but marries up with the team.

“We’ve been doing a bit of ad-lib training and we’ll slowly put the puzzle together as we go forward.

“The more time you have your whole squad on the field, it pays dividends down the track.

“A lot of our players are training at present, but we’ve also had a few younger players with us.

“That’s really positive for their development and I see those kids playing a big role in our future.”