Ben still hungry to hunt with Wolves
BEN WESTWOOD will make his 400th appearance with Warrington for today’s visit of Catalan Dragons as he seeks to secure a new contract for next season.
The tough-tackling forward returns from a three-match ban to reach the milestone as he approaches the end of his 15th season with the Wolves.
The 36-year-old former Wakefield man is aiming to convince the Wolves to hand him another year he feels he deserves.
Westwood said: “I would like to play on for one more year as I feel as though I can do a job down the middle.
“I still feel I can compete with the best and while I think that, I’ll keep going. It’s yet to be sorted out, so we’ll have to wait and see.” Westwood says his mental strength compensates for what his legs can no longer achieve.
He added: “My body was telling me it was time to stop when I was 25. I’d play a game and be so sore that I couldn’t walk for two or three days.
“I don’t feel any sorer now after games at 36 than I did 10 years ago – it’s all a mind game.”
He is likely to stay on at Warrington in some capacity when he finally retires.
He said: “I’d like to think there would be some kind of role for me here and there have been brief discussions about that. I’ve got a business that is in the process of being set up so hopefully that kicks off and I can still hold down something at the club.”
Warrington, by their own lofty standards, have endured a disastrous campaign.
They finished in the bottom four and are now competing in the Qualifiers, where they must scrap to preserve their Super League status.
The Dragons have also struggled badly this year and head coach Laurent Frayssinous was axed in May and replaced by former England boss Steve McNamara.
Warrington and the Dragons both won their opening games in the Qualifiers last weekend and Wolves boss Tony Smith is plotting another victory over the French side today, having beaten them in the regular season in June.
Smith said: “You can see some changes in their play and the introduction of some systems, so Steve has made a difference already. We’ve tried to assess some of the changes they have made and how they might differ from last time we played them.
“At the same time, we’d like to think we’re a bit better than we were that day as well.
“We’ve built up some good form over the past couple of weeks and last week against Widnes was a really good performance.”
Dragons winger Fouad Yaha has replaced centre Iain Thornley in the only change to their squad. RORY McIlroy produced a miracle ‘road shot’ to save par on his opening hole but was left cursing a run of four bogeys in five that damaged his hopes of challenging at the USPGA.
Fortunately, the three-time Major winner was able to follow those four dropped shots with two birdies in his closing three in a round of oneover 72 for a two-over tally.
It had McIlroy in the clubhouse 10 shots behind early leader Kevin Kisner, who posted a second straight 67 to enjoy a five-stroke lead over American compatriot Rickie Fowler, who carded a 70.
McIlroy started his round from the 10th and needed to show all his brilliance after sending his second shot way right on to a cart path to leave stand-in caddie Harry Diamond secondguessing the distance to the green.
After a ‘free’ drop McIlroy was faced with having to thread his third down a near 100-yard tree-lined path.
He did it with a brilliant six-iron to find the edge of the green en route to a remarkable par.
“I didn’t expect it to be there and I was a bit unlucky to get it going down the cart path as it was really the only option I had,” he said with a smile.
“I dropped it in a pretty bad lie, so I couldn’t carry it over the cart path. I hit a six-iron thinking that I’ll bounce it up the cart path and see where this goes.
“Luckily it got out of the bunker and on to the other side. That could have been a six or a seven.
“So to get away with a five I actually felt pretty good about myself going to the next tee.”
McIlroy’s par was the first of five in succession ahead of his first birdie at the par-five 15th where he split the fairway with a booming 327-yard drive.
He found a greenside bunker with his second shot but managed to get up and down from 35ft.
He followed with three pars but then found himself on that bogey train for four of five holes from his 11th.
Finally McIlroy jumped from what was looking like a train wreck in holing a four-footer for birdie to get back to three over for the championship, at