Warrington Wolves boss Daryl Powell says players need to ‘take ownership’

Eight rounds into the Super League season and Warrington Wolves were flying high with an opening night first half hammering of Leeds Rhinos, George Williams in Man of Steel form and Paul Vaughan looking like the best signing in Super League history but since their round nine loss to Wigan Warriors, it’s been a different tale.

Since then Wire have played twelve games in the league and only amassed three wins whilst also being knocked out of the Challenge Cup to a Wigan side that saw Kaide Ellis sent off inside ten minutes.

It’s fair to say there’s been a huge turn of fortunes at the Halliwell Jones and nothing confirmed that more than today when Warrington travelled to Wakefield and were sent straight home off the back of a hammering.

Trinity outplayed Warrington all game as they won by a whopping 42-6, not bad for a side that only picked up 43 points in their first six games.

The contrasting change of form is something quite spectacular and for Wakefield it’s been the addition of players such as Luke Gale, Will Dagger and today Innes Senior who scored four, whilst for Warrington it’s also the players.

That’s according to Daryl Powell who spoke to the press after the game claiming that players need to look inwards and take more accountability.

“We just talked about it there, so the players talking about themselves, themselves, sorting themselves out,” Powell stated with particular pronunciation to underline the word ‘selves’.

He continued: “Ultimately, a coach coaches a team, coaches a player, then a player has self-determination to go, ‘this is what I’m going to do’.

“So the big part of it is player ownership. That’s what the boys are talking about in there, is more ownership, ‘that’s what I’m going to do to get myself back where I need to be’ etc.”

Powell also stated how the week’s training had gone with Warrington one of eight Super League sides to benefit from an extra week’s recovery thanks to the Challenge Cup.

“We’ve had a good training week this week, where it looks pretty good, but then your preparation and your headspace going out there, that’s what it comes down to I think.

“We clearly have to win a game and I thought today was where we could, obviously we’ve got seven games left. We’ve got an opportunity, we’re still in the sixth from our early season form, but you’re not going to do anything if you’re losing games consistently.”