Warrington Wolves 20 St Helens 24, key talking points

It turned out to be another defeat for The Wire to extend their poor run of form, but were there signs of hope in the performance?

Our Warrington Wolves reporter Matt Turner picks over some of the game's key talking points here...

Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

It is fair to say Warrington fans arrived at The Halliwell Jones Stadium more in hope than expectation for this one.

And while they watched their side succumb to the defeat many expected to worsen their current form, there could be few complaints about what they dished up.

Effort, energy, intensity and determination were the four things Daryl Powell asked for pre-match from his side and it is fair to say he got all of them.

The only frustration is that they found themselves in a position of real strength as the game entered the championship rounds but were unable to close it out (more on that later).

Wire cannot escape from the fact that this is another defeat and they remain in quite the rut, but there were clear signs of life and progress to come from their performance.

What is key now is that this kind of enthusiasm and grit is delivered as a bare minimum week on week.

Another big Wire effort in defence (Image: Mike Boden)

A sense of déjà vu?

One could be forgiven for thinking those watching this game had jumped in a time warp and travelled back 14 months.

The last time Saints came to Warrington in May 2022, they found a home side in dire straits that all and sundry expected to roll over and succumb to a relentless red and white tide.

They were met with some fierce resistance and an energetic, passionate Wire display that had them hanging on for a narrow victory amid an electric atmosphere inside the ground.

Sound familiar?

As mentioned above, there was a lot to like about how Wire played on the night but ultimately, the result went against them again as St Helens’ formidable record in this town continues.

Interchanges make the difference

When Matt Dufty scorched across the HJ turf to put his side 20-12 up with a stunning try, Wire seemed primed for what would have been the standout victory of Daryl Powell’s reign so far.

However, a big factor in things turning the visitors’ way was what they were able to bring back off the bench.

Paul Wellens sent for his tried and trusted generals in Alex Walmsley, James Roby and Morgan Knowles and they helped Saints pick up the intensity.

They put their toe on the throttle and Wire just could not keep pace, with the middle unit starting to tire after some huge efforts from the likes of Joe Bullock, Paul Vaughan and Daryl Clark among others.

Rucks started the be lost, the game got too quick and in the end, the momentum proved a little too much to handle.

Matt Dufty and Stefan Ratchford cannot prevent Lewis Dodd from scoring the winning try (Image: SWPix.com)

When your luck is out…

While there were boos at full time from the home stands, this time it was not for their players but for referee Jack Smith.

Granted, Warrington were heavily favoured in terms of the penalty count which finished 7-3 to the hosts but they can point to some key decisions that did not go their way.

Chief among those was the decision to allow James Bell’s try to put Saints back ahead at a time where Wire were on top in the game despite a clear forward pass that allowed Jack Welsby to break through the line.

There were similar groans about Welsby’s pass to Lewis Dodd for the match-winning try and while that one was more marginal, there was little doubt about the first incident.

Daryl Powell also highlighted Smith’s late decision to penalise his side for a ball steal when Konrad Hurrell appeared to knock on under huge defensive pressure, which denied them the chance of putting Saints under late pressure.

Were Wire “robbed” as many fans put it? There will be differing points of view on that, but at the very least those calls were hugely influential.

James Bell's try appeared to feature a clear forward pass (Image: SWPix.com)

An electric HJ

If you wanted to sell the game of rugby league as a full package – on-field product, off-field atmosphere etc – you would sit someone down in front of this game.

After Wire strode into the lead after the break, the place was absolutely rocking which is exactly how it should be.

The sizeable contingent of travelling Saints fans more than played their part too in what was a superb occasion worthy of an end-of-season pressure game.

That is the kind of atmosphere Powell and his players have been wanting to feed off, and it just goes to show it will come if fans are given something to get behind.

Saints are due back at The Halliwell Jones Stadium on September 15 and if the game is anything like this one, we should be in for a treat again.