Warrington on the brink of record-equalling run

Warrington Wolves come into this weekend’s clash against Hull FC on the brink of equalling a club-record best start to a Super League season of seven consecutive victories.

The Wire come into this fixture off the back of a dominant 38-0 victory away to Castleford, a victory which has cemented their spot at the top of the table and within the top four. Despite the stark contrast in form between themselves and Hull FC, head coach Daryl Powell says his team must be aware of the threat they’ve posed teams away from the MKM Stadium.

“The way I’m looking at them at the moment is that they’re better away from home.”

“We’ve got to prepare for the best that they’ve got.

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With two games against the sides directly below Warrington after this Saturday’s fixture, Powell has highlighted the importance of the side maintaining the same performance levels;

“The biggest danger to a team that’s winning consistently is to start taking your eye off the ball, so we’re very mindful.

This fixture could also be the last in a Wire shirt for Thomas Mikaele, who looks set to join the Gold Coast Titans in the coming days. Sam Kasiano and Daryl Clark are unavailable for selection, but Josh Thewlis and Josh Drinkwater return after missing last Friday’s win against the Tigers.

Coincidentally, the man who masterminded Warrington’s best start to a Super League season in 2016 will be hoping to put an end to their current streak in the form of Tony Smith. The Hull head coach had a successful nine-year stint at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, but has stated that he has no connection to the club now his allegiances lie elsewhere.

“It’s not close to my heart anymore. It was when I was working there – I gave my heart and soul to it and that’s what we do as professional coaches.

With the Black and Whites currently on a four-game losing streak, Smith is hoping that his side will find a way out of a rough patch sooner rather than later.

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“We’ve still got hope within ourselves but, and I’ve said this before, we need to prove some stuff to ourselves before we prove it to everybody else,”

The clash also sees Super League’s most potent attack face off against the worst defence in the competition, but the FC boss has spoken about the mindset his squad will approach the game with.

“We’re going to go and give it our best shot.

“None of us are saying we’re going to go over there and definitely beat Warrington, but I’d like us to think that we can.”

FC will be without Ligi Sao and Cameron Scott this weekend, with Jordan Lane and Nick Staveley taking up their places in the 21-man squad.