AS 2023 comes to a close, we’re taking a month-by-month look at the sporting year that was in Warrington.
Today's piece looks back at July, and the end of an unhappy era for Warrington Wolves...
WHEN reflecting upon how the seventh month of 2023 unfolded for sport in Warrington, you have to start at the end.
As July came to a close, Daryl Powell’s time in charge of Warrington Wolves did the same as the team’s wretched form cost their head coach his job.
The final game of his reign was arguably lower than any point that had gone before – an insipid 42-6 thrashing at the hands of Super League’s rock-bottom side Wakefield Trinity.
It was their sixth consecutive defeat and an eighth in nine matches and ultimately, the axe fell on Powell – but he did not leave without a parting shot at his players.
Before the horror show in West Yorkshire, July had also seen The Wire beaten at the hands of neighbours St Helens and Wigan Warriors, with the team having led in both matches before succumbing to defeat.
A consequence of Wire’s shocking form was their absence from the Challenge Cup semi-finals, but the town itself still played a part with The Halliwell Jones Stadium hosting a thriller between Leigh Leopards and St Helens, with Leigh triumphing before going on to lift the trophy the following month.
It was also a big month of ins and outs both in the short and long-term, with forward Jordy Crowther arriving on a short-term deal from Wakefield while the signing of Newcastle Knights second-rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon for 2024 was also announced.
However, July also saw the long-anticipated news of Daryl Clark’s impending departure to join St Helens confirmed, officially putting the countdown clock on his nine-year stay at the club.
In terms of other sport, some of golf’s longest hitters descended on Alder Root Golf Club for the British Long Drive Championships, with Germany’s Finn Quade emerging as the winner.
Meanwhile, the build-up to the new football season would continue as Warrington Town confirmed the eye-catching addition of veteran defender Peter Clarke ahead of their first ever National League North campaign.
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