Been pondering the season over the last few days and here are a few things that struck me;:
1) our left edge. Remember how all our points were coming from that side and we were wondering why the right edge wasn’t as effective? Then the left seemed to lose its coherence. Possibly down to Toby’s injury and then Widdop, but my feeling is it was waning before then.
2) Charnley…is it personal issue, injuries or ageing?
3) Ratchford, I’m a massive fan, but lately he seems to be a cul de sac rather than a route to the try line (but solid as a rock under the high ball.
4) Who are our leaders on the field, because watching games I’m not sure who is bossing them around
5) Austin did we miss his “up and underst” after all?
This isn’t meant as a doom and gloom thread it’s about issues that people with more understanding of the team dynamics may be able to shed some light on.

I have no insight but would comment ...

1) King was massively over hyped (most likely his agent) leading up tp his renewal and his form has disappeared since.

2) i expect to see a rejuvenated Charnley in 2022. He is a superb finisher and under utilised in Price's reign. Our 2nd top try scorer in 2021.

3) he is getting on. He also doesnt feature in big games for some reason but he is one of our few players with the ability to beat a man.

4) We dont have any. I hope Powell makes Williams captain and Hughes no longer makes the 13.

5) His 1 trick was figured out 6 months into his first season and was never the same threat. He could not evolve his game to compliment Widdop.

Can I just take issue with 3. Ratchford does not beat men anymore...at all. He offers no running threat whatsoever and his passing game is not good enough to negate that. Cover bench spot at best, if he's starting FB next season we're in trouble.

Fair challenge. 1 ty and 8 assists in 2021.

Huge indicators of Powells intent for me will be what he does with the captaincy and what he does with FB. If he makes Ratchford starting fb AND captain then I'm done!!

Number 1, King is damn lucky centre is the position with the thinnest amount of talent in super league. We couldn't afford to let him go as there are NO replacements out there.

Will truth be stranger than fiction ?
.
Will i renew my season ticket ?

I think the responses show an unduly harsh view on King, and my intention was not to give yet another reason to have a general pop.
W71, I’m not sure where your confidence in a rejuvenated Charnley comes from. He clearly didn’t back himself on numerous occasions this season and as he had been doing previously under Price I’m not sure how you can blame Pricey for this, other than under the “everything is Price’s fault” clause which usually apples.
Price OUT!

Not everything was Prices fault but our turgid play and cluelessness inside 20m definitely was.

Anyway Charnley was our #2 try scorer in 2021 despite some personal issues he alluded to earlier in the year. I think he is a class player and under Powell we may have 2nd rowers that run better lines and create space for centres and wingers. Heres hoping anyway.

Charnley was shown up in 2 games v cas..why he's still here and under Powell is a mystery..A lot of dead wood at this club and it will take time for it to go...as a club we are drifting away from the top clubs

1 try since May in 11 games.

I rate King highly, he was brilliant at the start of the season then didn't look fit to me.

Everyone gets a clean slate next season, I'm a little concerned by the injuries we have already for next season, all the new signings and Darryl Clark going for surgery as well.

I'm optimistic for next season, I don't expect it to be plain sailing at all but I'm hoping it's an end to the things I've really disliked from watching us under Price or at least I don't think we will see them anywhere near as often. Second rows stopping the link from forwards to the backs, wingers used as battering rams, 5 drives and a kick, little invention and creation of space for each other in attack etc etc. There has been an awful lot that has been wrong for 2 1/2 years. We had a slight improvement early on this season but we never troubled the top 2 all season.

I think 2022 will be better overall but there will be some disruption as Powell instills his system. This is assuming we have a competitive pack.

At the minute the pack is weaker. Hill was very good this season. We can't take him out of the pack and it be better. Bullock would be alright, a lot hinges on whether Clark is staying or going. He's been alright but I feel the cap space could be better spent. We need a big unit or a solid superleague prop. George King or Will Maher would be better than Bullock unless Bullock wants to actually reach his potential. That IF there is any substance to the Bullock rumours anyway.

I'm not necessarily disagreeing but I think we've bigger problems to solve than Ratchford and they're all up front

This, the second row (not Currie who has been very good) need to get the ball out wide more and also punch more gaps. We need more size via another body up the middle. They also need to be running better lines rather than straight up rugby.

The King criticism is warranted. Up until the Salford away fixture he was golden, looked dangerous with the ball, worked hard defending from marker (still his best attribute for me) and was excellent on kick chase. Most of that has subsided since then.

The trys drying up is not all down to him though. Realistically, when someone is that good in the air, you should never score none! Good teams will kick the ball 30+ times a game, you could expect that 10+ of them will be in good field position, if I was a halfback I would time and again kick for him to challenge (and if he didn’t, I’d give him the most regal of public ear bashing’s!) Briers did it with Fa’afili, Hicks, Monaghan, King. That spanned form 2008 to the 2013 grand final. It works, and if it works, DO IT AGAIN!

I can’t for the life of my understand why a half back would decide against doing that, unless they were firmly instructed to put the ball in the in goal for a repeat set. The issue with that it, we’re rubbish at it (Williams aside, he was actually quite efficient). Austin put it in the stands 7 out of 10 and Widdop has a knack of finding the midriff of a defender.

This is not a Price bashing, although I believe his stance to be to find the in goal and build pressure. But if you’re having the ball in the right areas and can’t break a defence down, the pressure ultimately turns on yourself as the opposition gain confidence that we have thrown the kitchen sink at them and still not scored. A half back should have a) picked this up with the coach already, and had a frank conversation that the plan needs to change b) break rank and make something happen when plan A isn’t working. To stick to a failing plan is not commendable, it’s insanity. Halfback are paid for brains, not for doing what they’re told. The best know when to stay in the grind and when to play, it’s built in them, that’s why they are the best*. To harness that is criminal, especially when you’re paying them a small fortune each (all three).

*before any smart comments come in, Austin, Widdop and Williams at the point of signature, we’re/are three of the best halves in the competition. I understand that they have not performed, that is the point I’m making.

CW8 "we haven't troubled the top 2".

We beat Saints away , we beat Catalans twice & Wigan twice. It is the so called lesser tams we struggled against.

I mean in league standings, what you outline is the reason for us not troubling them.

Neither of which matter in one sense.

It's our failure to be able to win a play off game in the past three years that matters or a cup semi final in the past two, irrespective of opposition. Given the league structure and the short run needed in the cup to win either trophy, we need to win enough games to get into the play offs in the league and develop an ability to win knock out games. That's all.

I think it all matters, we can't amble through the season and then turn on the style just for knockout matches, we haven't nurtured that ability within the team.

We need to play a better brand of rugby as a team and hone that through the season. The results don't matter so much as you rightly point out but our ability to combine as a team does matter and we don't have that ability as we haven't been practicing it really. We have been solid and opportunistic IMO. Nowhere near enough complete team performances although there were a few this season.

Yes I agree despite what I posted.

You [iare[/i one of the’so-called lesser teams. Look below the glitter that Moran has so generously rolled your turd in and you’ll find that, despite all the chest beating and posturing, you’re still just Warrington.

He's been away for a while and THAT'S the best username he can come up with? Monikers getting as pitiful as his existence.

Seemed such an interesting and focused original post. Pity it went astray ... but no surprise.
1. Not sure our "best" left edge actually played together very much after the start of the season. i.e. Lineham, King, Widdop & Currie
2. I think Charnley is still pretty good given a ball 20 yards out with a tough job to do to get over the line. Our best winger (currenly on our books) in heavy traffic, close to line. In defence I think he was blamed too often for defensive problems caused inside.
3. Still very useful just a bit too casual for me at times. Looked very assured and in total control at hooker v.Cas. I still thought he played his best stuff at right centre ... I have a long memory it was some years back.
4. I can't see an obvious leader either. But lots of clubs are the same.
5. Yes we did miss his up and under at times. It was overdone so much ... but still useful.