Our weekly catch-up with Warrington Wolves boss Steve Price

MT: Luther Burrell then – what do you see in him as a player that you find appealing and will work well in rugby league?

SP: He’s a big lad and he’s got a lot of height. He’s big, strong, has good athleticism and could play in a number of positions.

We could use him in the centres, he could play wing or back row. He’s got a strong ambition to come to rugby league and have a really good crack at it.

It’s a great coup for our football club, especially with the length of the season. There’s a lot of football to be played and it gives us a lot more depth to choose from.

He’s an England international and has played rugby union at the highest level. He’s a good fit for us.

READ > Why Luther Burrell will not cost Wire a penny on their salary cap until 2021

MT: He’s not played league since he was a junior. How much time do you think it will take to get him up to speed?

SP: I’ve got a fantastic coaching staff that will do a lot of work with him in that regard.

It is a very different game and there’s areas in his physique that he needs to improve on when the time comes for him to join us.

It’s going to be a challenge but it’s one he’s really excited for. When the opportunity does arise, we’ll get cracking with him.

READ > More on Wire's signing of Luther Burrell

Luther Burrell will join up with the Wire squad in July. Picture by Roberto Payne/Northampton Saints

MT: It was around this time last year that you made another signing from rugby union – he turned out alright! Are you hoping Luther will have a similar lifting impact on the squad as Josh Charnley did when he arrived?

SP: Charners has been first-class, hasn’t he? I love everything he stands for.

Once he got going it was an easy transition, but Josh had obviously played a lot of rugby league before. Luther is different in that regard but he’s a guy that’s willing to learn and that’s half the battle.

He’s excited to try a different ball game. It’s going to be good for us and he’ll add a lot of competition.

MT: He’s north of 30 but are you happy there’s a good few years in his legs yet?

SP: He’s had no serious injuries yet, which is handy. He’s still athletic but he needs to shed a few kilos.

That’s a process, as is understanding the mechanics of different systems offensively and defensively.

It’s going to take a little bit of time but there’s no pressure from our end as to when he’s ready to come into the team.

MT: In terms of the squad as it is right now – we know Ben Currie has a few more boxes to tick before coming back. Is it a case of getting him some more contact now?

SP: He’s been doing a lot of contact work, volume-based training and repeated speed. That will continue.

There’s no set date for him at present.

READ > Update on Ben Currie's progress

Ben Currie is still shy of a first-team return

MT: Toby King is back from his ban. A few eyebrows were raised when he lined up in the second row against Leeds – is that a position you see him in long-term?

SP: Toby did a really good job for us against Leeds – it was just unfortunate that he copped that week’s ban.

I see him as a centre for us – a very good centre – but one thing we’re about here is that you do whatever for the team. That’s what he did two weeks ago.

Toby King put in a promising display in the second row against Leeds before being sin-binned. Picture by Mike Boden

MT: It’s a squad that’s almost at full fitness, which I guess gives you the kind of headaches you want as a head coach?

SP: It does – and a few sleepless nights!

The players are really challenging each other not just for a spot in the 13 but for the four bench spots as well.

We’re all healthy, we’ve got a lot numbers to choose from so it’s a good position to be in.

READ > One change to Wire squad for Huddersfield trip

MT: A lot of fans have asked about Jake Mamo and where he fits in. Can he and others that are on the fringes at the minute do any more than what they are doing now?

SP: Jake has been outstanding in training from the moment he arrived. He leads the majority of our metrics and data in terms of his high-speed distance running.

What he’s been doing around the boys has been really refreshing and he’s challenging the players around him to get an outside back spot.

He’s another one that is really pushing for that 17.

MT: It must be hard to leave him out when he’s training so well?

SP: It is very difficult. We’ve been really clear on what I expect from the players and where I see them fitting in.

He just needs to stay grounded, keep working hard and his time will come.

Jake Mamo scored a hat-trick in the pre-season win over Widnes but is yet to make his Super League debut for The Wire. Picture by Mike Boden

MT: It’s slightly weird timing for a two-week break but do you feel like you’ve used the time productively?

SP: Ideally, we would have had it a bit later on in the season, but a lot of the clubs are in the same position.

With the structure of the World Club Challenge, which I’m a big fan of, it is what it is. We utilised it to the best of our ability.

The players got a few days away and they’ve come back refreshed. Hopefully we’ll get that back in the long-term but for the moment, they are in a really good head space.

MT: Huddersfield on Friday night – what kind of threats are you expecting from them?

SP: I’m expecting a few players to come back for them – maybe Jermaine (McGillvary), Ukuma (Ta’ai) and Lee Gaskell.

We’ve prepared accordingly. They have a strong back five who can carry the ball and Matt Frawley has been doing a sound job for them.

There’s some big boppers through the middle third. They have a mixture of strong personnel and they’re going to be really desperate as they haven’t got a strike yet.

We expect a really tough challenge on Friday.

MT: They’ve lost both of their games so far, but there’s not much you can read into that at this stage is there?

SP: No, not at all. They’ve had a number of players missing and now they have a number of them back.

We just have to keep doing what we’re doing. It’s credit to the players for how hard they have worked.

In two games we’ve scored 26 and 28 points. There’s still areas in which we can get so much better and that’s the challenge each week.

MT: What sort of areas have you pinpointed for improvement? Is discipline and penalty count one of them.

SP: You always look at those kind of things, like the sin-bins we’ve had over the two games. Whether they were warranted or not, we’ve got to roll with it.

We’re working extremely hard to improve that.

There’s a couple of areas in defence that we can improve on and offensively, the combinations are going to get better as weeks go by.

MT: It’s a ground Warrington haven’t won at since 2014 so not a particularly happy hunting ground. What’s it going to take to get that monkey off your back?

SP: We don’t really care about stats and what’s happened in the past.

We’re a totally different team with new personnel. At the end of the day, it’s another 100mx68m field.

We’re much-improved from last year and all we can control is going out and playing the football we want to play.

Warrington have lost on their past five visits to Huddersfield – including a 20-6 defeat last February. Picture by Mike Boden