RICHARD Marshall has praised the hard work of his Warrington Wolves Academy players before and during Friday’s dramatic win over St Helens.

A last-minute drop goal from scrum-half Leon Hayes earned The Wire a 17-16 victory against a Saints side that came into the game with five wins from as many matches.

Marshall’s side are building nicely into form, too – the win was their third in a row and they currently sit fifth in the Academy table.

> Read a full report on the game by clicking here

As well as crediting his players for a superb display – particularly in defence – the head coach also paid tribute to his coaching staff for their input.

“Our focus this week was putting an 80-minute performance together against a quality team in St Helens,” he said.

“We ticked that box with a gritty, resilient and entertaining display in awful conditions.

“The entertainment factor came through our defence and we limited Saints’ field position from the outset.

“Our kick chase was disciplined and relentless, our contact was so strong and our practices over the last few weeks was evident.

“The coaching team have done a wonderful job leading into this game – we looked fitter than the opposition and had some whack about us. Hats off to Liam Myler and Tyrone McCarthy for the work in those departments.

“The players involved also would have learned so much from winning such a tight game and concentrating for the full 80 minutes.

“The standard is set now and our team of young, determined players have really shown what hard work looks like.”

The team’s 2022 record now stands at four wins and two losses from six games, with their next test coming against Hull KR at Victoria Park on Saturday, May 21.