Warrington Wolves and St Helens are no strangers to competing at the right end of Super League but as we approach the final fortnight of a compelling season, this contest underlined that we are witnessing two sides heading in different directions at the business end of the year.
For Warrington and Sam Burgess, this was a relatively straightforward afternoon’s work to keep their hopes alive of a top-two finish going into the playoffs. First is out of reach given Wigan’s win on Friday night against Hull KR, but the Wolves are just two points adrift of the Robins with two rounds remaining.
Second place brings with it enormous advantages; free passage through to the semi-finals without the need to play in the opening week, and a guaranteed home game in which victory will ensure a place at Old Trafford. The Wolves were never really in any danger of failing to keep up the heat on the Robins in that regard here.
“Maybe I’m expecting a bit too much, but we didn’t ever really get going with the ball,” the ultra-demanding Burgess said. “Overall though, I was happy with the result. But there are aspects of our game we need to clean up if we’re going to give ourselves a chance.”
Their third victory in as many attempts against St Helens this year was arguably the most straightforward of the lot, too. This is a shadow of the Saints side who swept aside all before them to win four consecutive Super League titles between 2019 and 2022, as well as beating the NRL champions Penrith Panthers in their own backyard in last year’s World Club Challenge.
Never before have the Saints failed to qualify for the Super League playoffs but they end this weekend in sixth, level on points with Leeds who are sitting just below. There is now a very real prospect of St Helens watching the playoffs from home for the first time – and this performance did little to suggest anything to the contrary.
They took an early lead through a Jon Bennison penalty but that was really as good as their afternoon got. The big talking point from the opening half-hour was the sin-bins of Warrington’s Lachlan Fitzgibbon and St Helens’ Matty Lees, both from challenges that saw players stay down to require medical treatment.
That led to yellow cards being brandished, promoting more talk that gamesmanship – players effectively staying down to ensure tackles are reviewed by the video referee – is rife in Super League at present. With Lees off the field, Warrington took advantage as a crisp move down the left freed Matty Ashton to score.
Then, just before half-time, George Williams’s marvellous offload allowed Jordan Crowther to double their lead, with the score sitting at 12-2 at the interval. Given how Saints had laboured their way through that first half, making horrendous uncharacteristic errors, you felt it was unlikely there would be any form of comeback.
Unfortunately for the travelling support from St Helens, that was proved to be correct. There were only four points scored in that second half, two penalties from the boot of Josh Thewlis. But in truth, that’s all Warrington really needed to put the result beyond doubt against a Saints side who are drifting away without much of a whimper. In contrast, Warrington are looking up.
