Two sides who have had very different starts to their 2019 seasons met at the Halliwell-Jones Stadium when third top Warrington Wolves hosted third bottom Wigan Warriors.
Adrian Lam had rung the changes in making seven changes from the side that lost to the Huddersfield Giants last weekend whereas the Wolves had the luxury of just one enforced change.
A win for the Wolves would lift them into second place and just two points behind the league leaders but if the visitors could grab the win, against the bookies odds, then they could be up as high as seventh in the embryonic league table.
Warrington opened the scoring on six minutes thanks to an overlap created down the left wing which allowed Jake Mamo to dive ove the line and ground one-handed. Ratchford was unable to land the conversion attempt from the touchline.
Warrington looked to have scored on twenty-six when Ben Currie slid over but a superhuman effort from Zak Hardaker managed to get his torso under the ball and prevent the Wolves second-rower from grounding.
Stefan Ratchford did double the lead on thirty-one running the angle off a Ben Currie pass to go twenty metres to score. This time the Wolves full-back kicked the conversion for a 10-0 home lead.
Stefan Ratchford kicked the second of two penalties, awarded in quick succession, against Wigan for head high tackles to give the Wolves a 12-0 half time lead.
The second half was just five minutes old when Josh Charnley made the most of a mix-up in the Wigan defence as they failed to deal with a Ratchford high ball when he picked up the bouncing ball to go over wide right to score against his former paymasters. Ratchford kicked superbly from the touchline for 18-0, the points were almost in Warringtons pocket.
On fifty Dan Sarginson tested the referees patience a litte too far and saw the yellow card for a swinging arm.
Wigan finally found some joy on the hour mark when Tom Davies collected and grounded a Jake Shorrocks grubber. Hardaker converted a difficult opportunity to reduce the arrears to twelve points, the Wolves not having everything their way.
Three minutes later Willie Isa crashed over the line after finding a gap thanks to a George Williams short pass. Hardaker added the conversion for 12-18, they were right back in the game.
Declan Patton slotted over a drop goal on sixty-six to push the Wolves seven points clear as he settled the home sides nerves.
Toby King got clattered behind his own sticks when trying to escape his own in goal and a mass brawl ensued which resulted in Willie Isa and Dec Patton being sin-binned and Ben Westwood being red carded.
Warrington won the game on seventy-eight after Jake Hughes crashed the Wigan line from five metres as the Warriors defenders failed to shut the door. Ratchford added the conversion to seal a famous 25-12 win for the Warrington Wolves.
Warrington were never really in any danger of losing a goal which they had dominated from the opening minutes. A brief blip around the hour mark allowed Wigan to have a sniff of a comeback but it didn’t last as the cool heads of Wolves carried them to the final hooter. Warrington are starting to look like the real deal, they just need to keep their calm and carry on.
Wolves: Ratchford (T, 4G), Atkins, Charnley (T), Austin, Hill, Clark D, Cooper, Currie, Hughes (T), Patton (DG, SB on 73), King, Mamo (T), Westwood (SO on 73). Subs: Murdoch-Masila, Clark J, Tasi, Philbin.
Warriors: Hardaker (2G), Davies (T), Sarginson (SB on 50), Gildart, Escare, Williams, Sammut, Navarrete, Leuluai, Clubb, Isa (T, SB on 73), Greenwood, O’Loughlin. Subs: Partington, Shorrocks, Hamlin, Bullock.
Referee: Ben Thaler.
Half-Time: 12-0.
Full-Time: 25-12.
Attendance: .
