Smith: It’s time for a new Super League champion
Warrington coach Tony Smith says it’s time for a new Super League grand final winner as his club look to end a 61-year wait for success.
Only four clubs have claimed premierships in the Super League era – Wigan, Leeds, St Helens and Bradford.
Warrington have been in grand finals in recent seasons but failed to take home the trophy.
This year Hull FC broke their Wembley hoodoo and Cronulla ended its 50-year wait for a premiership. In 2014 South Sydney ended a 43-year drought for another title and last year North Queensland won their first ever NRL grand final.
“That’d be nice,” Smith admitted to Love Rugby League.
“It’s been a long time for our club to win a championship at this level. If it was as easy as that we’d just put our feet up now and we know that we’ve got it done.
“No, it is time for a new club as well. No direspect to Wigan, if they win they deserve it. They’ve had a number of wins over the years and good luck to them.
“But one of us other clubs have to show up and do it on the day and shake things up too.
“And really to become one of the big boys, we’re regarded as one of the big boys now but we need to win the big title at some stage.
“If it’s not this year, it’ll be soon. We’ve given ourselves every chance this year.”
Smith said the weight of pressure winning Warrington’s first premiership since 1955 isn’t impacting on his squad.
“Records, that’s the old cliche isn’t it, records are made to be broken. It’s nice,” he said.
“I was at Leeds in 2004 and it was 32 years, so it’s nice to do. Hopefully it will be after 61 years for us, not 62. We’re going to try.
“They’re just things along the way. The importance isn’t really the record, the importance is the hard work these guys have put through all year and a nice reward would be to come out on top in the big game.
“It’s a much better feeling than the other one.”
Warrington’s last defeat came at the hands of Wigan at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
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Smith believes his side has responded in the right manner since then.
“We’re in there fighting, we’re going to give ourselves a good chance,” he said.
“We’ve been pretty determined in the past few weeks. I think our last defeat was against Wigan and that game slip probably bucked us into gear in some respect.
“I just think the attitude has been really strong since then and there’s a real determination but we’re going to have to find some of that again because Wigan will have a say in this game in a big way at some stage.
“We’ll either soak that up or crumble to it, so that’s the test for us.”