Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
LINE OF DUTY
Wolves star Tom: I’ll stop joking around with my mate Toby... he is a future King
TOM LINEHAM has vowed to tame his wild side so that team-mate Toby King can become a superstar.
Warrington Wolves’ livewire duo click on and off the pitch – but Lineham admits that their close friendship sometimes lands them in trouble. Coach Steve Price doesn’t always see the funny side of their jokes in training and has warned it’s got to stop. England
Knights winger Lineham (top right) says he’s happy to toe the line because he is convinced that King is good enough to become a world-class performer.
Lineham said: “I am taking responsibility as I don’t want to be a bad influence on Toby because of the great player that he’s going to be.
“I sometimes do get a bit giddy and distracted in training, and Steve has been on to me about my concentration.
“He’s told me to clock-in and clock-out afterwards.
“He’s told me I can mess about afterwards as long as I concentrate while I’m training.”
The 27-year-old’s new, and mature, approach to training had some Wolves team-mates worried about him.
Lineham said: “Players asked if I was all right because I wasn’t the same. But once I explained the situation they were pretty sweet with it.”
King, 24, who toured Papua New Guinea with Lineham and the Knights in 2018, insists his pal shouldn’t cop all the blame for their old antics. King admitted: “Steve is always getting in to me because sometimes I can be away with the fairies.
“I’m a happy-go-lucky guy, particularly when Tom is around because he will distract you with things.
“But Steve is smart and knows exactly what players are like. He’s just trying to make sure we concentrate.”
The partnership was on fire before lockdown and Price is confident they will come out firing again when the season restarts next month.
The Wolves chief said: “They are always in each other’s pockets, but I have got them in control. They were doing some really good things pre-Covid and I hope they’ll continue it.
“They worked really hard on their systems in pre-season.”
Last year’s Challenge Cup winners lie fourth after seven games. Price added: “I thought it was a really positive start.
“I could see the progress in the changes that we are trying to implement. We were starting to find our groove and moment.”
I don’t want to be a bad influence and hold him back