Warrington Wolves vs Catalans Dragons, key talking points

With Daryl Powell's time as head coach at an end, head of youth Gary Chambers takes interim charge of the first team on Friday as they return to The Halliwell Jones Stadium.

A daunting task faces them as Super League leaders Catalans Dragons arrive with the aim of strengthening their grip on top spot.

Here, we pick out five key talking points ahead of Friday's Round 21 clash...

All eyes on the players

Daryl Powell’s last act as Warrington Wolves head coach was to take a swipe at his players that ultimately turned out to be a final parting shot.

In it, he claimed there were players within the dressing room who do not take kindly to criticism and were not giving their all for the cause.

That sentiment has been echoed by plenty of fans since news of Powell’s departure, with many laying the blame for his fate at their door.

Now under the temporary tutelage of a no-nonsense disciplinarian such as Gary Chambers, how they respond on Friday and beyond will be very interesting to see.

Will there be the “new coach bounce” that is often seen in sport? Or will it be more of the same?

Warrington Wolves are currently on their worst run of consecutive defeats in a single season since 2002 (Image: PA)

Will Chambers swing the axe?

For his first game in interim charge, one of the key questions is to whether Gary Chambers will take a scalpel or a sledgehammer to the Warrington team.

In that fateful final interview, Powell mentioned that there were “at least two” members of his middle unit that he would leave out of the team if he had the choice, so will Chambers go one step further?

The first clue we will get will be the 21-man squad for Friday’s game, which is to be revealed at around lunchtime today.

Whether or not short-term signing Jordan Crowther is fit to come in may play a part in that and while Thomas Mikaele is believed to be on his way back to the club for the rest of the year, it is not thought he will arrive in time to feature on Friday.

In other areas of the field too, players like Connor Wrench will be chomping at the bit to get back into the first team – he scored two tries on dual-registration at North Wales Crusaders at the weekend.

Gary Chambers has been placed in interim charge following Daryl Powell's departure (Image: Bob Brough)

Will youngsters be given their chance to shine?

In his role as head of youth, Chambers oversaw the promotion of nine academy graduates to the first-team squad over the off-season, with the under 18s continuing to have a strong campaign this year.

As such, it may be that we see some of those young players given a more prominent role than they enjoyed under Powell.

Riley Dean’s recall from a loan spell at Castleford Tigers hints at his potential involvement, with Adam Holroyd, Tom Whitehead and Lucas Green are other youngsters who have been in and around the first team of late.

A clash with a physical Catalans side would be a “sink or swim” moment for them but if anyone is to give them a chance, it would be a man in Chambers who has been their biggest advocate.

Riley Dean has been recalled from his loan spell at Castleford Tigers and could feature on Friday (Image: SWPix.com)

Catalans out for revenge

Warrington are one of only two teams to have breached Catalans’ Perpignan fortress this season, with Huddersfield Giants being the other.

Not only did Wire win in Perpignan in Super League back in April, however, they did so in the Challenge Cup the following month but have won just one of the nine games that have followed – a run that ultimately cost Powell his job.

Steve McNamara’s side will no doubt be feeling pretty sore about both of those games and will be heading to The Halliwell Jones Stadium looking for revenge.

And if that wasn’t incentive enough, taking another big step towards their second League Leaders’ Shield in three years will surely do the trick.

Wire have won twice in Perpignan this year - once in Super League and once in the Challenge Cup (Image: Joe Richardson/Warrington Wolves)

Crowd watch (again)

As well as its effect on the team, it will be interesting to see the impact Daryl Powell’s departure has on the terraces.

It had been pretty clear for a while that large swathes of the Wire fanbase had had enough of Powell, so will the first game since his departure have a galvanising effect?

Since the big news broke on Sunday evening, however, plenty have made clear that their disillusionment runs deeper than just the head coach and that Powell’s removal would not necessarily tempt them back on its own.

The popular “Kids For A Quid” initiative will see the West Stand become a hive of activity and the club will hope for a five-figure attendance as a result.

Will it happen? We’ll soon find out…

Wire are back at The Halliwell Jones Stadium for the first time in nearly a month on Friday (Image: Mike Boden)