Warrington Wolves 32 Wakefield Trinity 18, talking points

The Wire ran out 32-18 winners at The Halliwell Jones Stadium to return to the top of Super League and rebound from back-to-back defeats before the international break.

They were pushed all the way by winless Wakefield, who were left to rue Kevin Proctor's second-half red card with the scores level at 12-12.

Here, we pick out five key talking points from the game...

Wire get there in the end

Warrington simply needed a win tonight, but there can be no doubt that their fans will have been expecting better than what they saw.

When Josh Thewlis’ quickfire double had them 12-0 up early on, the vast majority of the 10,200 inside The Halliwell Jones Stadium will have expected them to canter to victory.

What followed was a much tougher game than anyone was anticipating and a lot of credit for that has to go to Wakefield, but Wire must take their share of the blame for letting their visitors back into the game.

Whether it was sloppy errors, poor finishes to sets or some alarmingly slack defence, there is certainly plenty for Daryl Powell’s men to fix up going forward.

Still, they got the job done and once again look down on the rest from the summit of Super League.

More questions than answers?

Pre-match, many conceded that they may not learn too much about this Warrington side from this game such was the supposed gulf between the sides.

However, it can be said that Powell has been left with more questions than answers from this game.

The pack was as close to full strength as it has been for a long while with an unhindered rotation, but they were nowhere near as dominant as they were expected to be.

With the ball, too, they struggled to open up their visitors down the edges until Kevin Proctor’s red card gave them a numerical advantage.

Would they have got the victory without the sending off? Quite possibly as they were building momentum anyway, but it was at the very least a huge factor in turning the match their way.

Huge credit to Wakefield

As much as Wire were unconvincing, credit must be given to a beleaguered Wakefield side.

Their small but hardy band of travelling fans must have feared the worst at 12-0 down, but they can afford to go away very pleased with the response of their side.

Up front, they competed and at times got the better of Wire’s much vaunted middle unit and their creative spine threatened whenever they were given the chance.

If they keep this level of performance up, their first win of 2023 is surely not far away.

Has Thewlis given Powell a dilemma?

Previously, Josh Thewlis had been looking to give Daryl Powell a selection headache in competing with Matty Russell for a spot on the right wing.

That may still be the case – but has he put himself in the frame in his preferred position of full-back?

Powell surprised many by benching Matt Dufty and moving the youngster to number one, but his decision was immediately vindicated as Thewlis scored two tries early on.

He had some nervy moments – most notably the dropping of a regulation high kick under little pressure – but was named as the official man of the match in the ground.

Improvement is a must as rampant Robins visit

It’s another home game next up for Wire as Hull KR visit in what is shaping up to be a blockbuster game.

Willie Peters’ side have won six in a row to establish themselves as Super League’s in-form side and propel themselves into contention for honours.

They will no doubt have studied Wire’s last three performances and will no doubt feel there are plenty of areas they can exploit in their bid to make it a magnificent seven.

From a Warrington point of view, they will simply have to be better than they have been in the past three games if they are to end Rovers’ unbeaten run.

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