Tony Smith commits to Wolves

Correspondent

Warrington Wolves have announced that Tony Smith has agreed to stay on as Head Coach for the next three seasons after signing a contract extension that keeps him at The Halliwell Jones Stadium until November 2015.

Since joining the club in 2009 Tony has led the team to numerous on-field successes with three Challenge Cup titles in four years, the League Leaders Shield in 2011 plus the first Grand Final appearance for the club since the inception of Super League.

This coaching success builds on that which he created at his previous Super League clubs, Huddersfield and Leeds, as well as Internationally with Great Britain and England.

A club Spokesman said: “Under Tony’s coaching and leadership the team and club continues to grow from strength to strength both on and off the field. Sponsors and associates have registered their support once again ahead of the new season and supporters have been renewing their Season Tickets extending their commitment to the club as we all look forward to more success in the near future.”

On agreeing his new deal Tony said: “I’m excited about our future and I’m pleased with the progress that we’ve made so far in the time that I’ve been here and I’m looking forward to hopefully progressing further. Working with the people I get to work with in these exciting times for the club and being part of it as we try to establish ourselves as one of the big teams in the competition excites me. I have a lot of respect for the people I’m working with and working for, so it was an easy decision to make.”

Tony is excited for future of the club, saying: “We don’t have a lot of turnover, we’ve got some terrific young players coming through which is really exciting and I am expecting that they will take us to some new levels. I think there are some exciting guys coming through such as Ben Currie and Brad Dwyer who have already contributed but I’m expecting them to come through even more and the likes of Rhys Evans, Ben Evans, James Laithwaite, Jordan Burke, Ryan Shaw, James Mendeika, Danny Bridge, James Saltonstall and Glenn Riley who are all going to be pushing for positions next year. There is depth within our squad and these young guys, who now have a year of full-time training under their belt, will be much more prepared for the rigours of Super League.”

“The working environment and culture of the club is also becoming the breeding ground for success. I think it’s exciting times for the club, and we are reaping some rewards for the hard work we’re putting in. It’s a great environment to be working in both on and off the field. The culture of the club is getting stronger all the time and I think people recognise that and enjoy what they do….The culture within a club is crucial. Each club is unique in what’s needed to be successful and it’s up to me as a coach to adapt to that whilst helping to instil some elements that will improve it. I’ve enjoyed what we’ve done so far and I look forward to the next few years. It’s nice to know that we are going to continue to grow as a club and as a team.”

“The fans are important to both Me and the players. They’ve been fantastic and incredibly supportive of the club. Even on those dark days when things don’t go so well they are still behind us, which is important. They keep the faith in what we are doing. Even though it’s not all perfect all the time I think they appreciate the players put in the effort and are always trying to do their best. I think the way that we play rewards their support and the way we play Rugby League reflects the way they get entertained and we look to do that as best we can.”

“I’m really looking forward to the seasons ahead and continuing on the trophy hunt. We’ll be in there trying along with the 13 other teams. It’s all going to be a new year and you have to start again but I think the fact that we didn’t quite finish it off will leave us with a lot of desire to go that step further if we can. We can’t take anything for granted. We will have to earn the right again and we’ll certainly do that in the pre-season and prepare ourselves the best we can for another good campaign next year.”