Smith says Wire ready for the Champions

Correspondent

Tony Smith has said that he is excited by the challenge his Warrington side face tonight at the home of Super League champions Leeds Rhinos.

Warrington travel to Headingley to kick off the new Super League season, with the Wolves looking to put last season behind them after an underwhelming season.

With Tony Smith giving the squad a fresh look with a number of new signings, the Australian has said that tonight is a great way to lay down a marker for the rest of the year.

“It’s certainly an exciting way to start our season at Headingley against the current champions, and it’s a challenge that we’re looking forward to,” Smith told the Warrington Guardian. 

“I don’t think either team is probably going to be at their very best but I think it will be a good challenge for both, one that we’re really looking forward to and one that they will be too.

“It’s a good way to kick off the season and a nice way for Super League to kick off too, with two teams that will be competing at the back end of the season.”

Smith did admit that both sides may need time to gel in 2016, with high profile players departing the Wolves and the Rhinos over the last couple of years. 

“They’ve probablt still got some adjusting to do without some of their key players and we’re probably making some adjustments to our new players as well,” he said.

“It’s difficult when you lose some players of that calibre in some respects – we found it difficult when Briers, Monaghan, Morley and a few others retired or moved on.”

Despite this, the Wire head coach is insistent that Leeds will still be a threat tonight and throughout the season, and expects them to play in a similar way that made them so successful in 2015.

“It’s tough but they’ll still be dangerous in many ways – some of their outside backs are very capable and very dangerous and they’ll pose the same sort of challenge they did last year,” he said.

“They’ll be different and we will be too this year – it’s exciting and it’s going to be a good match up.”