STEVE Price reserved special praise for Gareth Widdop’s display in Warrington Wolves’ win over Leigh Centurions in Chris Hill’s Testimonial.

The half-back put in an impressive display as The Wire won 34-12 at The Halliwell Jones Stadium both with and without the ball.

He was part of a left edge unit that looked spritely in attack alongside Ben Currie, Toby King and Tom Lineham, who scored a hat-trick of tries.

Tom Lineham scores one of his three tries. Picture by SWPix.com

Tom Lineham scores one of his three tries. Picture by SWPix.com

An ankle injury sidelined Widdop for much of pre-season during his first campaign at the club but having got through a full body of work unscathed this time around, Price is pleased with where he is at.

Overall, the head coach was pleased with his side’s execution as they ran in seven tries.

“It was a good, positive hit-out,” he said.

“Our first 40 minutes were solid and it was always going to be a bit indifferent after making so many changes as the game grew.

“I thought there was some good execution and skill under pressure.

“Gareth Widdop looked sharp, fast and strong.

“He had a real high energy about him. I’m really pleased with his game.

“It was a good, hard game. We thank Leigh for the performance they put up for Hilly’s Testimonial. It was a game played in good spirit.”

Gareth Widdop put in an excellent display against Leigh. Picture by SWPix.com

Gareth Widdop put in an excellent display against Leigh. Picture by SWPix.com

With Greg Inglis missing the game and likely to sit out next week’s opening Super League game against Castleford Tigers, the right centre spot was filled by academy graduate Connor Wrench.

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The former Woolston Rovers and Crosfields junior put in a solid display to put himself firmly in contention to start against Daryl Powell’s men.

Jake Mamo is the other likely contender – he came on in the second half and played at left centre.

“Connor has been really solid throughout pre-season,” Price said.

“He’s grown as time’s gone by and as you saw, he didn’t look out of place.

“It’s a good battle going on there at the moment as Jake Mamo’s doing well too. I’ve got some tough decisions to make.

“There was Eribe Doro, Josh Thewlis, Connor Wrench, Robbie Butler – they’re just young kids but they have all been really solid in our pre-season.

Picture by Mike Boden

Picture by Mike Boden

“I thought they all stood up against a well-established rugby league team in Leigh.

“I was impressed with those guys and the more game time they get, the better they’re going to be.”

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Price may also have been forgiven for having a look at the other side, with three of his young players featuring for the opposition having joined John Duffy’s side on loan.

Keanan Brand and Nathan Roebuck started the match, while academy player Tom Burnett came off the bench.

“I was impressed with Nathan Roebuck – he really put his hand up for some tough carries coming out of yardage,” Price said.

“He took a really good catch under pressure from a high bomb, too.

“He’s only going to get better – he’s a good young kid who hasn’t played a lot of rugby over the past 18 months so that game will be really valuable for him.

“Tommy Burnett, I didn’t see a lot of opportunity for him when he went on so I’ll have to look back on the video.

“I’ve got to thank Leigh for giving them the opportunity to play some games.

“There’s a lot of good rugby league players that haven’t had that opportunity over the past 12 months.”

Fittingly, though, the final word was for Hill, who marked his special evening with a try of his own in the first half.

Picture by Mike Boden

Picture by Mike Boden

“I thought he was really industrious, especially in his first stint,” Price said.

“Chris, Joe (Philbin) and Robbie (Mulhern) looked really good in their threes and got through a fair amount of work.

“I think Chris banged out about 40 minutes, which will put him in good stead for next week.

“For a bloke who’s played 400-odd career appearances, it’s a massive effort.

“With Chris, if you look at his best game and his worst game, there’s very little in between.

“It’s a credit to his training application and it shows when he plays every week.”