Smith: Wolves must stay united

MJ Black

Warrington boss Tony Smith urged his players to stick together after the Wolves crashed to their sixth defeat of the season at St Helens on Friday.

Saints romped to a 31-6 victory to leave the Wolves rooted to the foot of the table, but Smith still believes they can turn things around.

“I didn’t think there was much between the two teams in the first-half and they scored two well constructed kicks into the corner,” Smith told the club’s official website.

“Matty Russell made a bit of a hash of it – all he had to do was put his hand on the ball. But they were playing in the right end of the field for those errors to happen. We didn’t put enough pressure on them.

“Next thing you look at the scoreboard, a couple of slip-ups and you’re 18 points down. The way we went about some of our defence was an improvement, but where we finished or sets, penalties and handing the ball over hurts us too much.

“It’s tough, no-one wants to be in this position, it’s hard work, dedication to your work. It’s easier when your team is ripping it up and the players are getting all the accolades and so they should.

“Now this is where we earn our cash and earn our respect. We’ve got to handle this patch with dignity. I’m going to continue to work hard, be respectful about players and performances and we need to stay united.”