There is still some way to go for Warrington before any talk of a Grand Final appearance becomes serious but there are undoubted signs of promise as the halfway point of the regular season approaches.
This is now six victories in succession for Steve Price’s side, and their eighth in total. After a slow start, the influence of Price, who arrived from the NRL charged with finally delivering the title to one of Super League’s biggest clubs, is slowly becoming more apparent.
Price’s first three months have been about making Warrington much tougher to beat than 12 months ago but this was an encouraging glimpse of what they are capable of when their attacking structures begin to click.
They were ultimately worthy winners against a Hull KR side who continue to find life back in Super League tough, though they will take heart from a period just after half-time when they made life very difficult for Warrington, scoring three tries in six minutes to reduce a 22-2 deficit into a two-point lead for the home side.
The early signs, though, are that Warrington are now made of sterner stuff; shown here by the fact that by the time they conceded the next try with two minutes remaining, they had long since secured victory with three more tries of their own. “There’s a lot more to come from us,” Price said.
Defeats against sides such as Warrington will not define Hull KR’s first season back in Super League but the ramifications of this match could yet be severe. After two minutes their influential captain and hooker, Shaun Lunt, was forced off and the prognosis could force the club’s hand in the transfer market for a replacement.
“Shaun has ruptured his medial ligaments in his knee and three months is the initial diagnosis,” the Rovers coach, Tim Sheens, said. “He’ll go for a scan and if that’s the verdict, we’ll have to go look for someone.”
Ryan Shaw kicked Hull KR into an early lead but Warrington soon found their groove in attack. They scored four magnificent tries before half-time to establish a 20-point lead with their half-back, Kevin Brown, at the heart of much of what they did well.
Brown was heavily involved in the tries for Mike Cooper, Ben Currie and Jack Hughes before a contentious moment gave Hughes his second on the stroke of half-time. Hull KR’s Junior Vaivai seemingly grounded the ball before Hughes did.
It left Sheens unimpressed. “I was very disappointed with that,” he said. “I’ve got a picture of Vaivai putting the ball down and three officials all missed it.”
That made it 22-2 and while Rovers rallied as Maurice Blair, James Donaldson and Chris Atkin scored soon after half-time, Warrington settled down again.
They finished the stronger of the sides, with Brown the chief architect in creating the tries for Tom Lineham, Stefan Ratchford and Ryan Atkins that sealed Hull KR’s fate and ensured Warrington’s encouraging start under Price continued.
Warrington Ratchford; Lineham, Goodwin, Atkins, Charnley; Brown, Roberts; Hill, Clark, Cooper, Currie, Hughes, Westwood. Interchange Philbin, Crosby, Akauola, Smith.
Tries Cooper, Hughes 2, Currie, Lineham, Ratchford, Atkins. Goals Ratchford 6.
Hull KR Quinlan; Shaw, Salter, Vaivai, Carney; McGuire, Atkin; Mulhern, Lunt, Masoe, Blair, Tickle, Kavanagh. Interchange Scruton, Marsh, Greenwood, Donaldson.
Tries Blair, Donaldson, Atkin, McGuire. Goals Shaw 5.
Referee J Smith. Attendance 9,305.
