Warrington Wolves talking points after Wigan Warriors loss

Outwardly at least, players and coaches remain calm but this defeat to neighbours Wigan Warriors – and the manner of it – has set alarm bells ringing among fans, if they weren’t already.

Their 30-18 loss at the Brick Community Stadium was their third in four games as they continue to slip down the table – they will finish the weekend in fourth place, but Leigh in seventh are now just two points behind them.

Here are our key talking points from the Round 18 defeat…

No excuses

Having 10 first-team players missing – nine through injury and one suspended – is always going to have an impact on a team.

However, Warrington Wolves are always at pains to stress that this cannot be used to excuse defeats and poor performances – and that is especially the case here.

In facing a Wigan side just as depleted as they were and featuring similarly vast amounts of inexperience, it ceases to become a determining factor.

Every team has to suffer through injuries at some point, but the best teams find a way to keep picking up points while doing so.

For most of the season, Wire have been doing that but now, more signs are appearing that they are starting to run out of steam.

They did not lose this game because of the players they had missing. They lost it because they were not good enough on the night. That is what they must take forward.

Composure lacking in key moments

This defeat will be particularly galling given the way in which they started the game, flying out of the traps and into a 12-0 lead inside the first 10 minutes.

Of course, that is not a decisive advantage at such an early stage but they had nailed a key phase of the game and built themselves a platform.

What was needed then was composure and none of it came – James Bentley’s sin-binning was the start of a slippery slope that saw them continue to slip back down to the bottom.

And particularly in the second half, Wigan’s trio of tries that ended up turning the game their way all stemmed from needless Wire lapses.

Firstly, after Lachlan Webster’s superb break had got them into Wigan territory, Leon Hayes’ ill-advised looping pass was picked off by Zach Eckersley and started a set which ended with Taylor Kerr scoring. Instead of taking the opportunity to set up camp at the right end of the field, they had a head rush.

Then, after Ewan Irwin had booted them back in front with a penalty, Toff Sipley dropped the ball when returning the kick-off, giving the hosts an immediate opportunity to respond which they took through Eckersley.

Still, Wire dragged themselves back into the game but the set after Matty Ashton’s try ended with a scuffed Danny Walker kick that gave Wigan field position. That set ended with Kian McDermott’s decisive try.

Too reliant on teenage star?

One player to whom any blame can be attached for this game is Irwin, who again showed glimpses of his potential.

A switch to scrum-half was smart in both the short and long-term – it meant he got the ball in more threatening positions and with Brodie Croft coming in next year, it is a role he is going to have to get used to at first-team level.

Wire’s excellent start had the teenager at its heart as he scored an excellent try after setting up Albert Hopoate with a superb flat ball, and he appeared to be unfortunate to have another late try ruled out by the video referee – more on that later.

Pretty much every good thing Warrington did with the ball came through him – but is that in itself a concern? Is this team too reliant on its young star?

Sam Burgess rejected that notion post-match, but it is difficult to see where their points are coming from without him.

He is doing an admirable job, but he needs some help from those around him and this was another night on which he and others were not helped out by some of the more senior players who had another off-night.

More video ref anger

Jack Smith was certainly busy on video ref duty – and both sides will probably feel aggrieved at several of his decisions.

It is only right to start at the end with the most crucial of his calls – the decision to disallow Irwin’s try that would have levelled the scores at 24-24.

Was there enough clear evidence to back up his notion that Irwin lost control of the ball in grounding? There seemed to be as much doubt about McDermott’s try shortly beforehand in which he initially appeared to touch down short before the ball appeared to come free under pressure. In that case, Smith opted against overturning the live call.

He did the same with Hopoate’s try and one for Wigan’s Austin Daniel – both flying finishes in which control of the ball appear suspect. Hopoate’s was given on-field, Daniel’s was not and neither call changed.

Consistency from the officials is all anybody asks for. Was that the case on Friday? Opinions on that will vary.

Getting twitchy

“We are still exactly who we say we are.”

That is what Sam Burgess said post-match when asked to address a fanbase that is getting increasingly twitchy and frustrated at what they are seeing.

Yes, they are still right in the play-off mix and it is to their credit that it has taken until now for them to suffer back-to-back league defeats this year, but it goes a bit deeper than that.

It has been way too long since those fans even saw their side put together what could be considered a strong performance and while that matters less when wins are still picked up, it becomes more of an issue when the results dry up.

Only four weeks ago, Wire had the chance to go clear at the top of the table but now, they are fighting to even stay inside the top six.

Of course, there is plenty of time to go and they will fancy their chances of picking up enough points in their run-in to keep themselves in the mix, but they will not want to go into it having lost four games in a row.AT what point do we start to become concerned about Warrington Wolves?

Outwardly at least, players and coaches remain calm but this defeat to neighbours Wigan Warriors – and the manner of it – has set alarm bells ringing among fans, if they weren’t already.

Their 30-18 loss at the Brick Community Stadium was their third in four games as they continue to slip down the table – they will finish the weekend in fourth place, but Leigh in seventh are now just two points behind them.

Here are our key talking points from the Round 18 defeat…

No excuses

Having 10 first-team players missing – nine through injury and one suspended – is always going to have an impact on a team.

However, Warrington Wolves are always at pains to stress that this cannot be used to excuse defeats and poor performances – and that is especially the case here.

In facing a Wigan side just as depleted as they were and featuring similarly vast amounts of inexperience, it ceases to become a determining factor.

Every team has to suffer through injuries at some point, but the best teams find a way to keep picking up points while doing so.

For most of the season, Wire have been doing that but now, more signs are appearing that they are starting to run out of steam.

They did not lose this game because of the players they had missing. They lost it because they were not good enough on the night. That is what they must take forward.

Composure lacking in key moments

This defeat will be particularly galling given the way in which they started the game, flying out of the traps and into a 12-0 lead inside the first 10 minutes.

Of course, that is not a decisive advantage at such an early stage but they had nailed a key phase of the game and built themselves a platform.

What was needed then was composure and none of it came – James Bentley’s sin-binning was the start of a slippery slope that saw them continue to slip back down to the bottom.

And particularly in the second half, Wigan’s trio of tries that ended up turning the game their way all stemmed from needless Wire lapses.

Firstly, after Lachlan Webster’s superb break had got them into Wigan territory, Leon Hayes’ ill-advised looping pass was picked off by Zach Eckersley and started a set which ended with Taylor Kerr scoring. Instead of taking the opportunity to set up camp at the right end of the field, they had a head rush.

Then, after Ewan Irwin had booted them back in front with a penalty, Toff Sipley dropped the ball when returning the kick-off, giving the hosts an immediate opportunity to respond which they took through Eckersley.

Still, Wire dragged themselves back into the game but the set after Matty Ashton’s try ended with a scuffed Danny Walker kick that gave Wigan field position. That set ended with Kian McDermott’s decisive try.

Too reliant on teenage star?

One player to whom any blame can be attached for this game is Irwin, who again showed glimpses of his potential.

A switch to scrum-half was smart in both the short and long-term – it meant he got the ball in more threatening positions and with Brodie Croft coming in next year, it is a role he is going to have to get used to at first-team level.

Wire’s excellent start had the teenager at its heart as he scored an excellent try after setting up Albert Hopoate with a superb flat ball, and he appeared to be unfortunate to have another late try ruled out by the video referee – more on that later.

Pretty much every good thing Warrington did with the ball came through him – but is that in itself a concern? Is this team too reliant on its young star?

Sam Burgess rejected that notion post-match, but it is difficult to see where their points are coming from without him.

He is doing an admirable job, but he needs some help from those around him and this was another night on which he and others were not helped out by some of the more senior players who had another off-night.

More video ref anger

Jack Smith was certainly busy on video ref duty – and both sides will probably feel aggrieved at several of his decisions.

It is only right to start at the end with the most crucial of his calls – the decision to disallow Irwin’s try that would have levelled the scores at 24-24.

Was there enough clear evidence to back up his notion that Irwin lost control of the ball in grounding? There seemed to be as much doubt about McDermott’s try shortly beforehand in which he initially appeared to touch down short before the ball appeared to come free under pressure. In that case, Smith opted against overturning the live call.

He did the same with Hopoate’s try and one for Wigan’s Austin Daniel – both flying finishes in which control of the ball appear suspect. Hopoate’s was given on-field, Daniel’s was not and neither call changed.

Consistency from the officials is all anybody asks for. Was that the case on Friday? Opinions on that will vary.

Getting twitchy

“We are still exactly who we say we are.”

That is what Sam Burgess said post-match when asked to address a fanbase that is getting increasingly twitchy and frustrated at what they are seeing.

Yes, they are still right in the play-off mix and it is to their credit that it has taken until now for them to suffer back-to-back league defeats this year, but it goes a bit deeper than that.

It has been way too long since those fans even saw their side put together what could be considered a strong performance and while that matters less when wins are still picked up, it becomes more of an issue when the results dry up.

Only four weeks ago, Wire had the chance to go clear at the top of the table but now, they are fighting to even stay inside the top six.

Of course, there is plenty of time to go and they will fancy their chances of picking up enough points in their run-in to keep themselves in the mix, but they will not want to go into it having lost four games in a row.