Warrington Wolves had a tumultuous 2025 season, as they ended the regular campaign outside of the play-offs. How do they bounce back from such a disappointing fall?
That question will be answered over the course of the next eight months, but as we look ahead to the campaign getting up and running, there are a number of factors that will determine whether they reach the top six.
Since first making the play-offs in 2003, Warrington have never gone more than one season without a finals appearance, and Sam Burgess’ side will be doing all they can to keep that streak in tact.
However, they face a huge challenge if they are to be successful, especially given how plenty of other teams in the league will fancy their chances at reaching play-off rugby.
Warrington Wolves 2026 season preview
Ins: James Bentley (Leeds Rhinos), Liam Byrne (Wigan Warriors), Albert Hopoate (Canberra Raiders), Toafofoa Sipley (Manly Sea Eagles), Josh Smith (Brisbane Tigers), Sam Stone (Salford Red Devils), Kelepi Tanginoa (Hull KR)
Outs : Zac Bardsley-Rowe (released), Matt Dufty (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Lachlan Fitzgibbon (South Newcastle Lions), Lucas Green (Keighley Cougars), Alfie Johnson (Halifax Panthers), Dan Okoro (Halifax Panthers), Stefan Ratchford (Retirement), Dan Russell (Bradford Bulls), Rodrick Tai (Central Queensland Capras), Nolan Tupaea (released), Paul Vaughan (York Knights), Tom Whitehead (Hull KR)
So, what has changed at the Halliwell Jones Stadium this off-season?
The biggest exit has to be full-back Matt Dufty, who departs the club a year earlier than expected. After being unable to find the form that had previously made him one of the best full-backs in the competition, he fell out of the squad and into the reserves side.
After Cai Taylor-Wray was handed the number one jersey, that move seemingly made the youngster first-choice. Dufty was too big of a personality to play second fiddle, and opted to leave the club and return to Australia, where he has landed a reserve grade contract with the Rabbitohs.
The club have brought in the likes of Bentley, Bryne and Sipley to replenish, and arguably improve, their forward pack after losing the likes of Fitzgibbon, Vaughan and Russell. Those additions, if they can stay fit and keep the right attitude, will be a force for Burgess this season, and with a stronger pack, it means the side will have more attacking opportunity.
Matty Ashton will also be returning from his ACL injury, in what is a huge boost for the club. Youngster Aaron Lindop won’t be far away either, and he has shown on a number of occasions what a talent he can be.
Squad debates:
Full-back:Â
After Dufty’s exit, the pressure on Taylor-Wray to perform will have increased that much more, given that there is now no established number one to fall back on, should he get injured or things not work out.
New recruit Smith and Josh Thewlis could take over, so there is cover there, but that would mean having to pull them out of position, and potentially weaken the starting back line.
Centre:
One position that isn’t locked in is the three-quarters, and there are a number of players who could fill the centre spots this season.
Josh Smith and Albert Hopoate have joined the club this off-season, and Smith in particular has impressed in the club’s pre-season fixtures. Toby King will be another potential candidate, as will Lindop when he returns from injury.
Halves:
On paper, Wire have two of the most experienced halves pairings in the league, but when playing together George Williams and Marc Sneyd are yet to prove their quality as a pair.
Warrington have youngster Ewan Irwin coming through the ranks, and is one of the most highly-rated youngsters in the game today. It would be a bold move to drop either of those for an 18-year-old, but if Warrington want to have success this year, it’s those types of decisions that will need to be made.
Back Row:
Burgess will have the pick of Bentley, Tanginoa, Stone and Adam Holroyd when he’s picking his starting 11 and 12, and whilst the back row isn’t as pivotal a position as some others on the pitch, it is still good to have plenty of option. Bentley and Tanginoa can play prop as well if needed, highlighting their versatility.
Overall verdict:
Whilst improvement has been made over the winter, Warrington will have a huge challenge ahead of them if they want finals rugby.
It’s likely that five of the six spots are already taken, barring any dramatic downfall from Hull KR, Wigan, Leigh, Leeds or St Helens, and with Hull FC, Catalans and Wakefield also in the mix, Wire will need to be at their best if they are to make the six.
One thing more important than results though, is the fact they need to get fans back on side. There was disarray in the fan base towards the end of last season, and that was down to the performances they were producing. Most supporters can accept losing, but only if the effort is there and the performance was acceptable, which at times last season, it wasn’t.
Warrington are likely to finish in the 6th-8th spots this season, and for the sake of the Primrose and Blue faithful, they will hope to scrape a final play-off place.
What the bookies think:
Warrington are tied with Hull FC at 16/1 to win the Grand Final, something that has eluded them in the summer era. To make the six, they are priced at 4/6, the sixth favourite behind the five aforementioned clubs.
Ashton is the fifth favourite to be the league’s top try scorer come round 27, and he is priced at 12/1, whilst George Williams is the club’s favourite to be Man of Steel, with a price of 25/1.
