2020 Review: Warrington Wolves

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Today Andrew Ferguson assesses the 2020 Super League campaign of the Warrington Wolves.

The Wolves had a very inauspicious start to their 2020 campaign, with their star-studded attack failing to fire, as they scored just 46 points in their opening 5 matches.

But then it clicked, and when it fired, it was unstoppable. They surged to the top of the ladder on the back of 8 straight Super League victories before the Challenge Cup distracted them briefly, before they returned to the winners circle, only to go down to Hull FC in the Semi-Final.

Turning Point

Round 7 against Hull FC. Prior to this game, the Wolves had won 2 of 5 games and scored just 46 points, but against Hull, everything finally fell into place as Warrington ran away with a 38-4 win before the season went into lockdown. When it resumed, Warrington beat Hull KR 40-10. They would also beat St.Helens in the Challenge Cup quarter final in a 9 game winning streak.

What Worked

Defence. The Wolves defence was consistently strong all year, with just 4 of their 20 games this year seeing them concede 20 points or more in a game. Only Premiers St.Helens had better defence (by just 9 points).

What Didn't Work

Closing out tight games. Despite winning a majority of their games, when it came to matches with a margin of 6 points or less, the Wolves won 4 and lost 4, one of those losses came in the Challenge Cup Semi against Salford, just several days after losing another tight game also to Salford.

Best Player

Toby King and Mike Cooper were both named in the Super League Dream Team after both players had their best seasons at the Wolves. Cooper has long been a hard worker in the front row and has finally been rewarded for his consistently tough performances.

Rookies

The Wolves saw 5 players make their Supre League debut's in 2020. Cole Oakley, Nathan Roebuck and Connor Wrench all played 1 game each, while Eribe Doro and Ellis Longstaff played 2 games.

Looking Ahead

The Wolves have made one of the biggest signings in recent Super League history by picking up Greg Inglis. Inglis was medically retired early in the 2019 NRL season after nearly a decade at South Sydney, but will make his way to the Wolves in 2021 where he can play at either Fullback, Wing, Centre or Five-Eighth. Warrington has also signed Rob Mulhern from Hull KR and Rob Butler from the London Broncos.

They've let go of some key personnel too. Ben Murdoch-Masila will return to the NRL after coming to terms with the Warriors, while Harvey Livett is off to Salford, Callum Green is heading to Oldham, Reece Hamlet has signed with Braford and Anthony Gelling has been released.

If the Wolves can perform on a par with 2020 in 2021, then they will again be in the top 4 at the end of the season.

2020 results

* Round 19 saw Salford unable to field a side and were thus handed a 24-0 loss to Warrington from the Super League.