Can Warrington Wolves avoid an unwanted club record?

While I haven’t looked back at the exact number of comment pieces I’ve written during this barren run Warrington Wolves find themselves on, they all tend to follow a similar pattern.

Whether it’s based on the opposition, squad availability, the schedule, recent history or a combination of all of them, its always ran along the “no time like the present” lines.

Rather than flog that ailing horse, I’ve been thinking about taking a different approach as the final run to the end of the regular season nears.

So what will follow in the next few hundred words or so can be seen as more of a direct appeal to everyone within the club, particularly those who cross the white line.

There are six games left. Don’t worry about what may or may not follow afterwards because that will only be determined by what is produced over the next month or so.

All of you have spoken openly about wanting to get this club back competing for silverware again. Everybody says that – of course they do – but people will form their opinions on whether or not those words carried any substance over the next few weeks.

Many already have, but after 27 rounds there will be a full body of evidence.

Results are needed in these six games in order to at least put the club in the mix. At the moment, Warrington are hanging onto their top-six spot by virtue of nobody making a sustained push to take it from them.

The only way to make anything happening below you irrelevant and keep those above you – a few of whom are far from out of reach, by the way – on their toes is to get your own house in order.

What happens between now and mid-September (and hopefully beyond) will shape how the year 2023 will be remembered at Warrington Wolves RLFC.

That brings me nicely to the question I’d like to ask the players, which is this – how do YOU want this year to be remembered? How much does it matter?

You may not put too much stock into what I write or what supporters say in the melting pot that is social media, but your former head coach’s parting comments questioning some of your effort and motivation surely can’t have been ignored.

That simply has to hurt, right? If it doesn’t, well that is a different conversation altogether.

What I can tell you for certain is there are so many people out there for whom it matters so very much. One of them is Gary Chambers, whose care and passion for the club knows no bounds.

Has that care and passion rubbed off on you in the past few weeks?

It may well have done – having spent only half an hour in his company last week, I genuinely felt myself ready to run through a brick wall and I doubt he was even trying to get me to do so.

If it has, let’s see it at Leeds and beyond.

For some of you, your time at this club is coming to an end. Some have been here longer than others, but you’ve all called this place home for a good deal of time.

Do you want to be remembered as someone who contributed positively to the history of this place?

If the answer is “yes,” let’s see it at Leeds and beyond.

And as we mentioned previously, this season remains very much alive and the prospect of playing in the high-pressure games that come from September onwards are still on the table.

Do you want to be involved in matches like that? Some of the biggest games on offer on this side of the world?

If the answer is “yes,” you know what to do by now.

Of course, you can't control how other teams play and there may well be times where the opposition will simply be the better side - that was probably the case against Catalans last time out.

However, showing exactly how much making a success of this season really matters - and with it proving claims in some quarters that you have given up on this year are unfounded - is perfectly within your control.

With Sam Burgess’ appointment having been confirmed earlier this week, there has naturally been a lot of focus on what happens beyond this season at The Halliwell Jones Stadium.

It’s time now to start dealing the with here and now…