Would Dream Team snub be a big deal for Warrington Wolves?

Whether it’s Dream Team places or Man of Steel races, it’s all coming to a head as the regular season comes to a close.

However, despite an excellent season which sees them sat in third place, do not expect to see heavy Warrington Wolves involvement in any of this kind of thing.

Indeed, it would be no great surprise if the Dream Team named on Sunday evening does not feature a single member of Sam Burgess’ squad.

“How can that be?” I hear you ask and you’re right, it does seem strange. But when you look at it a little deeper, the situation becomes a little clearer.

Of course, the way in which the team is picked is different for this year – the Man of Steel panel’s selections account for 50 per cent of the vote while 30 per cent comes from a selected list of the rugby league media (yours truly wasn’t asked I’m afraid) and the remaining 20 per cent is down to a fan vote.

But when you ask people who their stand-out Wire performers have been, there will be players at other clubs in the same position who will have caught the eye of neutral observers more.

Danny Walker has had a great season, but Wigan’s Brad O’Neill appears to be a shoo-in at hooker. Albert Hopoate and Matty Ashton have shone on either wing, but the try outputs of Maika Sivo and Zach Eckersley will no doubt see them preferred. George Williams has been superb when he’s played, but he’s missed half of the season through injury.

The Warrington player who probably has the best chance of getting in is Ben Currie at loose forward, but even he is up against it with Wigan’s Oli Partington and Leeds Rhinos’ Keenan Palasia also strong contenders.

In terms of the Man of Steel itself, Warrington’s wait for a first winner in the Super League era looks likely to go on but Ewan Irwin should at least be a strong contender to be named the competition’s Young Player of the Year.

But while Warrington being overlooked in this way may seem peculiar and even wrong to some, is it really a bad thing?

If you asked anybody within the Wire organisation this year, they would likely say that type of recognition isn’t really what they’re after.

While there have been some fantastic performances from certain players, Warrington’s strength this year has been the collective – they are a well-oiled machine with lashings of individual excellence.

That is not to say that isn’t the case for other teams currently in contention for honours, but it is something Sam Burgess has been keen to push – “side before self” at all times.

But it probably marries up with the way in which Warrington Wolves have been going under the radar this year – despite having spent only one week outside the top four all season, still nobody is talking about them.

The reason for that is no doubt that, quite clearly, Wigan and Leeds have been the two stand-out sides in the competition this year and so naturally, they are strong favourites to be the two left standing at Old Trafford on October 3.

But all of this will suit Warrington Wolves just fine because, as 26 rounds of evidence suggests, they thrive on going unnoticed.