SAINTS EASY MEAT FOR ASHTON
Wolves feast on poor champions
MATTY ASHTON enhanced his rapidly growing reputation as Warrington showed St Helens will not get it all their own way this season.
The champions had been imperious in dismantling 2019 Grand Final opponents Salford last week, while the 12-man Wolves went down at Wigan.
It prompted talk of another dominant campaign for Saints, but Steve Price’s Warrington are among a cluster of clubs that believe they can challenge the men in red and white – and proved it with a hugely impressive display.
The Wolves controlled matters from the start, dis
Hull
St Helens Huddersfield Hull K R Castleford Warrington Wigan Wakefield Toronto W Catalans D’s Leeds Salford
P 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 playing superior desire and effort. Full-back Ashton (below) – who hadn’t made his professional debut in the Championship at Swinton this time last year
– has exploded on to the scene with back-to-back eye-catching displays.
But this was a true team performance, with Warrington talismen Stefan Ratchford and Daryl Clark both influential alongside Blake Austin. Ben Currie is rediscovering his brilliant best after two injuries, and Price’s men move the ball at every opportunity.
It proved too much for a St Helens team that could rightly point to injuries to six key players, including prop Alex Walmsley,
W 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
L 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1
F 30 48 32 30 28 29 16 12 10 12 4 8
A Pts 4 2 27 2 12 2 12 2 10 2 16 2 10 2 30 0 28 0 32 0 30 0 48 0 who strained his calf in the warmup. But a spate of handling errors will concern new coach Kristian Woolf, not least with Australian champions Sydney Roosters in town in two weeks’ time.
Woolf’s side were behind from the 18th minute when Ratchford slotted a penalty, before hooker Clark plunged over.
Ratchford was then involved twice in a move that ended with Tom Lineham touching down out wide, and Austin made the lead 13 at the break with a drop goal.
With centre Mark Percival joining a crowded Saints treatment table in the opening stages of the second half, a comeback looked unlikely, and Ashton then put Josh Charnley over for a third home try.
Ratchford hit another penalty, before a disallowed Jonny Lomax try made Saints scoreless for the first time since August 2016.
BETFRED SUPER LEAGUE WARRINGTON 19 ST HELENS Warrington—T: D. Clark, Lineham, Charnley. G: Ratchford (3). DG: Austin.
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