ON the face of it at least, a convincing Warrington Wolves win in this fixture was to be expected.

However, scratch beneath the surface and it may well be one of the most satisfying victories of the campaign to date for Steve Price.

Shorn of the services of 11 key men – at least nine of whom would probably be guaranteed to have played if fit – there was no drop-off in performance and intensity.

> Have Warrington Wolves' youngsters given Steve Price a selection headache?

Leigh would arrive desperate to throw the millstone of being winless from around their necks.

The Wire had to match that, and match it they did despite the inexperienced look about their side.

Make no mistake, this was not as young a Warrington side as the one that took the field at Salford last year and there was still plenty of experience and quality to guide them.

But the effervescent mix of youthful exuberance and battle-hardened know-how combined beautifully on this occasion.

The likes of Ellis Longstaff, Connor Wrench, Eribe Doro et al have been spoken about with great excitement from those within the club for several years and on this evidence, it is easy to see why.

Longstaff in particular was tigerish both with and without the ball while he and Wrench were marshalled well on the left edge by Gareth Widdop and Tom Lineham.

Josh Thewlis’ growing confidence was demonstrated by a nerveless display in his preferred position at full-back, Rob Butler was powerful and aggressive and Eribe Doro’s first try for the club was the crowning glory of a night none of those youngsters will forget.

> Watch all seven of Warrington Wolves tries - including Eribe Doro's first senior four-pointer - here

At the other end of the age spectrum, Chris Hill continues to play like a man reborn, showing he does not need the captaincy to lead from the front.

On this form, he surely cannot be far away from joining colleagues Mike Cooper and Joe Philbin in Shaun Wane’s England thoughts.

Mention should be made of Danny Walker, too – unfortunate to have a world-class number nine in Daryl Clark ahead of him but he continues to show that he is growing into quite the player in his own right.

Widdop and Blake Austin guided the team round the pitch the aplomb, as demonstrated by a completion rate of above 90 per cent.

With the fixture schedule getting more and more hectic and injuries starting to become more of a concern, squad depth will no doubt be tested.

To that end, Price will be heartened to know any one of his young stars can come in and do a job when called upon.

INTERESTING NOTES:

. Wire’s 12th consecutive home victory over Leigh

. Eribe Doro scores his first senior Warrington try

MATCH FACTS:

Super League, Round 11

Thursday, June 24, 2021

Warrington Wolves...44 Leigh Centurions...18

Wolves: Josh Thewlis; Josh Charnley, Jake Mamo, Connor Wrench, Tom Lineham; Blake Austin, Gareth Widdop; Chris Hill, Danny Walker, Sitaleki Akauola, Jack Hughes, Ellis Longstaff, Matt Davis. Subs: Rob Butler, Riley Dean, Eribe Doro, Ellis Robson

Centurions: Ryan Brierley; Craig Mullen, Junior Sa'u, Iain Thornley, Matty Russell; Ben Reynolds, Joe Mellor; Tyrone McCarthy, Liam Hood, Mark Ioane, Ben Hellewell, Matty Gee, James Bell. Subs: Matty Wildie, Nathaniel Peteru, Jordan Thompson, Nathan Mason

Scoring: Austin try, 9mins, Widdop goal, 6-0; Davis try, 15mins, Widdop goal, 12-0; Widdop penalty, 33mins, 14-0; Hood try, 45mins, Brierley goal, 14-6; Widdop try, 48mins, Widdop goal, 20-6; Charnley try, 54mins, Widdop goal, 26-6; Sa'u try, 58mins, Brierley goal, 26-12; Walker try, 64mins, Widdop goal, 32-12; Doro try, 72mins, Widdop goal, 38-12; Lineham try, 75mins, Widdop goal, 44-12; Ioane try, 77mins, Brierley goal, 44-18

Penalties: Wolves 5 Centurions 9

Referee: Jack Smith

Attendance: 4,000

Top Man: VOTE HERE