DRIVING WOLVES ON
Brighter, bolder & could be a belter!
two finals but we came away with nothing and the boys are taking that hurt into this season.
“Our goal is to win trophies and I believe we can because we have recruited well and we’re looking good.”
Charnley, 27, had a disappointing 18-month spell in rugby union with Sale after a success-filled six years at Wigan. He returned to League with Warrington in March last year and hit the ground running, scoring 25 tries in 28 games.
He said: “I did not think I would get that many games or score so many tries, so it was a bonus.”
But as well as the double whammy of the final defeats, Charnley also suffered a shock England snub.
The former international didn’t even hear from coach Wayne Bennett about why he’d been overlooked but he’s determined to make this year’s Great Britain squad.
Charnley said: “I was gutted but the players they picked did a good job so I cannot fault that.
“I need to do well for Warrington now and see if I get a call at the end of the year.” WHAT a difference a year makes – and, for the sake of rugby league, thank goodness.
Last season’s Super League campaign started with a rudderless RFL at the head of a sport that was fast becoming a laughing stock.
Now the clubs are in charge, led by former Everton FC supremo Robert Elstone, and the sport already feels more vibrant.
New rule changes will make the game faster and more exciting, because those endlessly boring stoppages will be wiped out.
Several clubs have signed genuinely mouthwatering stars from the NRL – not the has-beens our game used to attract.
Feast
Elstone is also promising to make the players more high-profile and newsworthy than ever before in a bid to attract a wider audience.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating and we’ve yet to see whether there genuinely is a feast in store.
Moving Magic Weekend from Newcastle to Anfield could fall flat because of the lack of facilities outside the stadium in Liverpool.
But playing a game between Challenge Cup winners Catalans and Super League champions Wigan at Barcelona’s Nou Camp is a superb idea.
Now it’s a case of bring it on – and hope that the players get the attention they deserve.