Warrington Wolves boss Sam Burgess has put his faith behind his young halves after his side were defeated heavily by Leeds Rhinos last night.
In what was a top-of-the-table clash, Wire looked second best in all areas on Thursday, as Leeds recorded a 34-6 win to go two points clear in a game that saw Maika Sivo score his fifth hat-trick of the year.
Warrington haven’t been able to his their early-season heights in the last few weeks, with their attack in particular being something of a concern.
Scoring an average of 12 points in their last three matches, Burgess has opted to use young half-backs Ewan Irwin and Leon Hayes in the last two, as he looked to bleed in youngsters at first-team level.
Whilst long-term that plan will be hugely beneficial, Warrington’s lack of experience in the spine is one area that could have cost them last night’s game, however Burgess has no regrets about his selection decision.
Marc Sneyd was sat in the stands despite being named n the 21-man squad, and hindsight could suggest that his experience would have been useful to have out on the field in a game like that.
Speaking to the press post-match, Burgess backed his young halves pairing, and called for patience around their development.
He said: “They will learn a lot tonight [Irwin and Hayes]. I thought they both had some good moments at times.
Leon kicked a nice 40/20, came clean off his foot, and I thought Ewan looked really free when he’s running the ball.
“They got taught a bit of a lesson from a very experienced spine. Josh at full-back as well, still finding his way with things.
“He’s been playing the last two or three years on the wing, so it’s a very tough position to learn and takes time.
“I’m willing to be patient with them. I don’t need to beat them up over it. We just need to do a bit of reflection and look where we can improve.”
The trio were up against two Man of Steel winners and the competition’s current front-runner for the award, with Leeds’ quality far superior to that of Wire’s.
Leeds Rhinos go two points clear after Warrington Wolves victory
Assessing the game overall, Burgess revealed:Â “I thought the first half, the scoreline probably didn’t reflect the game.
“They won three moments. They had a switch kick play, and they won that moment with the bounce of the ball.
“Ash Handley is a great player, we missed the tackle, and Croft finished it very nicely.
“The third try, Newman out-jumps Thewlis from a midfield kick. In breaking us down, it was a couple of kick tries and a missed tackle.”
He added:Â “I was okay at half-time. I just didn’t feel it reflected the game. We looked a bit clunky, and I can accept that.
They made us pay in the second half, they were by far the better side. When they get into a mood like that, they’re hard to handle.”
Warrington Wolves boss reveals injury concern following Leeds Rhinos defeat
One man who Warrington will be sweating over is overseas prop Toafofoa Sipley, who suffered an ankle injury.
Burgess isn’t sure of the extent just yet, but with the result already going to Leeds, Burgess felt no reason to risk the former Manly man, who has already missed some of 2026 through injury.
The rest of the squad came through relatively well, with the boss saying there were just a few “bumps and bruises” among the group.
