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| 2014 Warrington Wolves season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super League XIX Rank | 5th | |||
| Challenge Cup | Semi-finals | |||
| 2014 record | Wins: 20; draws: 1; losses: 10 | |||
| Points scored | For: 793; against: 515 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| Chairman | Steven Broomhead | |||
| Head coach | Tony Smith | |||
| Captain | ||||
| Stadium | Halliwell Jones Stadium | |||
| Avg. attendance | 9,870 | |||
| High attendance | 13,157 (vs St Helens, 13 Feb 2014) | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Joel Monaghan (26) | |||
| Goals | Chris Bridge (67) | |||
| Points | Chris Bridge (178) | |||
| ||||
This article details theWarrington Wolves RLFC's 2014 season. The Wolves have been present in all previousSuper League seasons dating back to 1996. This year they are competing inSuper League XIX and the2014 Challenge Cup.
Warrington played their annual Festive Derby friendly against theWidnes Vikings in late 2013, snatching a 36-32 victory in a close-fought contest. In the new year, the Wolves completed a three-week training camp in Australia, including sessions with NRL clubsSydney Roosters,Manly Sea Eagles andCanterbury Bulldogs.[1] They played two more friendlies upon returning to England, beatingChampionship sideLeigh Centurions 34-20 atLeigh Sports Village and facing off against newly reformedSalford Red Devils a few days later, battling to a 14-8 victory in their first home fixture of 2014.
| LEGEND | |
|---|---|
| Win | |
| Draw | |
| Loss | |
| Date | Competition | Vs | H/A | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Att | TV | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29/12/13 | Friendly | A | Select Security Stadium | Won | 36-32 | Russell, Penny, Ormsby, Atkins, Currie, Riley, Peet | O'Brien (4) | 3,025 | No | [1] | |
| 02/02/14 | Friendly | A | Leigh Sports Village | Won | 34-20 | Penny (3), Burke, Shaw, Philbin | O'Brien (5) | 1,024 | No | [2] | |
| 05/02/14 | Friendly | H | Halliwell Jones Stadium | Won | 14-8 | J Monaghan, Westwood, C Riley | Westwood | 3,022 | No | [3] |
The Wolves faced a challenging start to the season, with their opening three fixtures all replays of 2013 losses. History repeated itself againstSt Helens R.F.C. at home andLeeds Rhinos away in Rounds 1 and 2 respectively, bringing about Warrington's worst start since the 2009 season. However, a gritty 18-16 win at home toHull F.C. followed by two consecutive away wins to 2013's bottom teams,London Broncos andSalford Red Devils got their season under way with some points on the board. Next came a replay of the2013 Grand Final against theWigan Warriors, where an error-strewn performance in wet and windy conditions led to further disappointment for the Wolves in a 12-4 loss to the reigning champions. The next round brought a visit to Huddersfield, where the Wire trailed 14-4 at half time to the Giants. However, an outstanding second half fightback and five unanswered tries secured a 33-14 Wolves win - their tenth in a row against theHuddersfield Giants in all competitions. Next up was a double fixture againstHull Kingston Rovers. Warrington successfully booked a place in the 5th Round of the2014 Challenge Cup in their visit to theCraven Park, however five days later when they hosted the Robins at theHalliwell Jones Stadium, they lost 12-25. A modest 4 wins from the first 8 rounds of Super League.
At home to theWidnes Vikings, Warrington put on an impressive show for the Sky cameras, securing a comprehensive 44-6 win against their local derby rivals. Despite seemingly returning to form, the following two fixtures of Super League saw the Wolves slip down the ladder with back to back away defeats in the league.Castleford Tigers, the early surprise package of 2014, ended an 8 match losing streak against the Wire in style with a 40-6 win. A visit to the Odsal then brought about a shock result as the strugglingBradford Bulls utterly out-enthused the Wolves in a topsy-turvy game which culminated in a 34-28 win for the Bulls. Warrington effectively bounced back from this setback however, finding a good bit of form with a new combination ofChris Bridge andStefan Ratchford at half-back, withRichie Myler out with a shoulder injury.
What followed was a spectacular 11-match unbeaten run in all competitions, amongst which Warrington thoroughly reasserted themselves as contenders in 2014 with impressive wins over top teams St Helens and Leeds Rhinos. At the end of July came a dip in form where Warrington suffered two consecutive Super League losses; for the second year running they were beaten away by their derby rivals Widnes and the following week saw the emphatic homecoming of Chris Riley (who played only one match for Warrington in 2014 before being sent on loan) whose hat-trick in Wakefield colours consolidated a 28-40 home loss and a drop to 6th in the table.
August arrived and the Wolves travelled to Perpignan to take on the Catalans Dragons who had only lost one of their ten home games so far in the 2014 season. After an epic battle in stormy conditions - lightning striking overhead throughout the match - Warrington snatched the win by 2 points, thanks to Bridge's faultless kicking game. Upon their return to England and Challenge Cup action, Warrington for the second year running fell at the last hurdle of the race to Wembley in a 16-24 loss to the Leeds Rhinos.
In the final four games of the regular season, the Wolves faced a string of tough games against each of what would finish the Top 5 of Super League. Firstly a Castleford side stripped down in preparation for a trip to Wembley was disposed of convincingly at the Halliwell Jones. Two weeks later Warrington took on Huddersfield and, in a fightback not quite reminiscent of the reverse fixture earlier in the season, earned a 24-all draw from 23-6 down. And with that the Wolves' ten-match winning run against the Giants became an eleven-match unbeaten run. The following week Wire produced their best 80-minute performance of the season to dispatch the league leaders St Helens 39-12 on their own patch. The final game of the regular season was a loss at Wigan in a chilling repeat of the previous year's Grand Final where Warrington took a convincing 18-4 lead only to concede four unanswered tries and eventually lose 24-20.
| LEGEND | |
|---|---|
| Win | |
| Draw | |
| Loss | |
| Date | Competition | Rnd | Vs | H/A | Venue | R | Score | Tries | Goals | Att | TV | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13/02/14 | Super League | 1 | H | Halliwell Jones Stadium | L | 8-38 | J Monaghan (2) | 13,157 | Sky | [4] | ||
| 21/02/14 | Super League | 2 | A | Headingley Stadium | L | 12-18 | J Monaghan, Westwood | Ratchford (2) | 16,164 | Sky | [5] | |
| 02/03/14 | Super League | 3 | H | Halliwell Jones Stadium | W | 18-16 | Ratchford, B Evans, Waterhouse | Ratchford (3) | 10,276 | [6] | ||
| 09/03/14 | Super League | 4 | A | The Hive Stadium | W | 44-16 | R Evans (4), Atkins (2), C Bridge, Ormsby, Asotasi | Ratchford (4) | 1,377 | [7] | ||
| 14/03/14 | Super League | 5 | A | AJ Bell Stadium | W | 28-12 | C Bridge, Higham, Ormsby, J Monaghan, Asotasi | Ratchford (4) | 6,260 | [8] | ||
| 20/03/14 | Super League | 6 | H | Halliwell Jones Stadium | L | 4-12 | Ormsby | 11,550 | Sky | [9] | ||
| 30/03/14 | Super League | 7 | A | John Smith's Stadium | W | 33-14 | R Evans, Myler, Westwood, Russell, Ormsby, J Monaghan | Ratchford, C Bridge (3), DG-Ratchford | 7,068 | [10] | ||
| 11/04/14 | Super League | 8 | H | Halliwell Jones Stadium | L | 12-25 | Myler (2) | C Bridge (2) | 8,778 | [11] | ||
| 18/04/14 | Super League | 9 | H | Halliwell Jones Stadium | W | 44-6 | R Evans (2), O'Brien, J Monaghan, M Monaghan, C Bridge, Currie, Atkins | C Bridge (4), Ratchford (2) | 10,750 | Sky | [12] | |
| 21/04/14 | Super League | 10 | A | Wish Communications Stadium | L | 6-40 | M Monaghan | Ratchford | 6,853 | [13] | ||
| 04/05/14 | Super League | 11 | A | Provident Stadium | L | 28-34 | England, C Bridge, Penny, J Monaghan, Russell | C Bridge (4) | 6,173 | [14] | ||
| 09/05/14 | Super League | 12 | H | Halliwell Jones Stadium | W | 42-10 | J Monaghan (2), England, Ratchford, C Bridge, Higham, Laithewaite | C Bridge (7) | 8,816 | Sky | [15] | |
| 18/05/14 | Super League | 13 | N | Etihad Stadium | W | 41-24 | R Evans (2), J Monaghan (2), Ormsby, Hill, Atkins, Russell | C Bridge (4), DG-Ratchford | 28,213 | Sky | [16] | |
| 25/05/14 | Super League | 14 | A | Rapid Solicitors Stadium | W | 36-4 | Currie (2), Ratchford, Atkins, Myler, Ormsby, C Bridge | C Bridge (4) | 3,698 | [17] | ||
| 30/05/14 | Super League | 15 | H | Halliwell Jones Stadium | W | 24-6 | C Bridge (2), Hill, J Monaghan | C Bridge (4) | 10,312 | Sky | [18] | |
| 13/06/14 | Super League | 16 | A | KC Lightstream Stadium | W | 34-4 | J Monaghan (2), Ormsby, Ratchford, B Evans, Atkins | C Bridge (5) | 6,850 | [19] | ||
| 22/06/14 | Super League | 17 | H | Halliwell Jones Stadium | W | 36-20 | Ormsby, Atkins, C Bridge, J Monaghan, R Evans, Currie | C Bridge (6) | 10,120 | [20] | ||
| 29/06/14 | Super League | 18 | H | Halliwell Jones Stadium | W | 50-24 | O'Brien (2), J Monaghan (2), Harrison, Atkins, Westwood, Ormsby, R Evans | Ratchford (7) | 9,003 | [21] | ||
| 04/07/14 | Super League | 19 | A | KC Stadium | W | 24-18 | Ratchford, Ormsby, Harrison, Atkins | C Bridge (4) | 12,328 | [22] | ||
| 13/07/14 | Super League | 20 | H | Halliwell Jones Stadium | W | 72-12 | J Monaghan (4), Currie (3), Hill (3), Ormsby, Wood, Harrison | C Bridge (10) | 9,381 | [23] | ||
| 18/07/14 | Super League | 21 | A | The Select Security Stadium | L | 14-28 | Atkins, C Bridge, Currie | C Bridge | 7,158 | Sky | [24] | |
| 27/07/14 | Super League | 22 | H | Halliwell Jones Stadium | L | 26-40 | R Evans (2), J Monaghan, Ratchford, Atkins | C Bridge, Ratchford (2) | 9,252 | [25] | ||
| 01/08/14 | Super League | 23 | A | Stade Gilbert Brutus | W | 26-24 | M Monaghan, Ormsby, R Evans, J Monaghan | C Bridge (5) | 7,000 | Sky | [26] | |
| 15/08/14 | Super League | 24 | H | Halliwell Jones Stadium | W | 48-10 | R Evans (2), Atkins, O'Brien, C Bridge, England, Ratchford, J Monaghan | C Bridge (3), Ratchford (5) | 8,391 | Sky | [27] | |
| 28/08/14 | Super League | 25 | H | Halliwell Jones Stadium | D | 24-24 | Harrison (2), O'Brien, Atkins | O'Brien (4) | 8,777 | Sky | [28] | |
| 04/09/14 | Super League | 26 | A | Langtree Park | W | 39-12 | J Monaghan (2), Ratchford, M Monaghan, O'Brien, Myler, Atkins | Ratchford (4), O'Brien, DG-Myler | 12,854 | Sky | [29] | |
| 11/09/14 | Super League | 27 | A | DW Stadium | L | 20-24 | J Monaghan (2), Myler | Ratchford (4) | 15,656 | Sky | [30] |
Due to the unprecedented competitiveness of this year's Super League, Warrington could have finished anywhere between 2nd and 5th in the table going into the last game of the season. As it was, Warrington let an 18-4 lead slip, losing 24-20 at the DW Stadium and dropping to 5th. The Wolves has qualified for the play-offs for the fifth year in a row but unlike the previous four years finishing outside the top 4 meant there would be no second chances; Warrington were straight into knock-out territory entering the play-offs.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | 19 | 0 | 8 | 796 | 563 | +233 | 38 | Play-offs | |
| 2 | 27 | 18 | 1 | 8 | 834 | 429 | +405 | 37 | ||
| 3 | 27 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 785 | 626 | +159 | 37 | ||
| 4 | 27 | 17 | 2 | 8 | 814 | 583 | +231 | 36 | ||
| 5 | 27 | 17 | 1 | 9 | 793 | 515 | +278 | 35 | ||
| 6 | 27 | 15 | 2 | 10 | 685 | 421 | +264 | 32 | ||
| 7 | 27 | 14 | 1 | 12 | 733 | 667 | +66 | 29 | ||
| 8 | 27 | 13 | 1 | 13 | 611 | 725 | −114 | 27 | ||
| 9 | 27 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 627 | 665 | −38 | 23 | ||
| 10 | 27 | 11 | 1 | 15 | 608 | 695 | −87 | 23 | ||
| 11 | 27 | 10 | 2 | 15 | 653 | 586 | +67 | 22 | ||
| 12 | 27 | 10 | 1 | 16 | 557 | 750 | −193 | 21 | ||
| 13 | 27 | 8 | 0 | 19 | 512 | 984 | −472 | 10[a] | Relegation toChampionship | |
| 14 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 438 | 1237 | −799 | 2 |
| Date | Competition | Rnd | Vs | H/A | Venue | R | Score | Tries | Goals | Att | TV | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20/09/14 | Super League | Elimination Play-Off | H | Halliwell Jones Stadium | W | 22-19 | J Monaghan (3), R Evans | Ratchford (3) | 7,229 | Sky | [31] | |
| 25/09/14 | Super League | Preliminary Semi-final | A | Wish Communications Stadium | W | 30-14 | J Monaghan (2), Atkins, O'Brien | Ratchford (5) | 6,219 | Sky | [32] | |
| 03/10/14 | Super League | Qualifying Semi-final | A | DW Stadium | L | 12-16 | 15,023 | Sky |
| Date | Competition | Rnd | Vs | H/A | Venue | R | Score | Tries | Goals | Att | TV | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06/04/2014 | Challenge Cup | Round 4 | A | KC Lightstream Stadium | W | 28-24 | Atkins (2), Asotasi, Evans, J Monaghan | Bridge (4) | 4,911 | [33] | ||
| 27/04/2014 | Challenge Cup | Round 5 | H | Halliwell Jones Stadium | W | 68-0 | C Bridge (4), Penny (3), Russell, Atkins, Dwyer, J Monaghan, R Evans | C Bridge (10) | 3,002 | [34] | ||
| 08/06/2014 | Challenge Cup | Quarter-finals | A | Provident Stadium | W | 46-10 | Myler (2), J Monaghan (2), Russell, Ormsby, Currie | Bridge (7) | 5,064 | BBC Sport | [35] | |
| 09/08/2014 | Challenge Cup | Semi-finals | N | Langtree Park | L | 16-24 | Ratchford, Westwood, C Bridge | C Bridge | 12,102 | BBC Sport | [36] |