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Warrington Wolves’ Blake Austin celebrates scoring their fourth try
Warrington Wolves’ Blake Austin celebrates scoring their fourth try. Photograph: Ed Sykes/Action Images
Warrington Wolves’ Blake Austin celebrates scoring their fourth try. Photograph: Ed Sykes/Action Images

Blake Austin powers in debut try as menacing Warrington thrash Leeds

This article is more than 5 years old

Warrington 26-6 Leeds
Australian finishes off superb move to cap dominant display

One performance does not define a season – particularly in the unpredictable world of Super League – but this was about as emphatic an opening-weekend display from Warrington as you are likely to find. Granted, they were perhaps fortunate to face a Leeds side who will clearly take some time to get going in 2019, but there were no such signs of early-season rustiness from the Wolves.

The rugby league world is often fond of reminding those fans in primrose and blue that it is more that 60 years since Warrington were last champions, dating all the way back to 1955. Steve Price’s side did just about everything possible to show they are at least capable of coming close to ending their long drought over the coming months.

All eyes were on Blake Austin, Super League’s biggest arrival of the off-season, and while he marked his Warrington debut with the second-half try that firmly killed off Leeds’s hopes, perhaps his biggest impact was soaking up the pressure on his shoulders to such seamless effect that it afforded those around him the time and space to dismantle the new-look Rhinos.

With their opening four games away from home – they have trips to Wigan, Salford and St Helens before their first home at the redeveloped Headingley on 1 March – plus a new coach and several new players to integrate, it may be a while until we see the best of them.

Even with all their off-season overhaul, it was hard not to be disappointed by their performance, with David Furner’s debut as coach marked in utterly underwhelming fashion.

By half-time, Leeds were 20 points behind – and given how they collapsed midway through the opening 40 minutes, victory looked a remote possibility even that early in proceedings.

It took the dispatching of Warrington’s Jack Hughes to the sin‑bin to spark the hosts into life and by the time he returned, Warrington were already two scores ahead. After he was shown a yellow card for tackling Konrad Hurrell off the ball, Stefan Ratchford had jinked his way across the line, as well as adding two goals to make it 8-0.

Hughes’s return further stirred Warrington into life and after Josh Charnley exploited an alarming amount of space on the Leeds left to cross, Daryl Clark added a third try before half-time.

With Ratchford converting both to make it 20-0, it was clear that the visitors needed the first try after the break to stand any chance.

Instead, the electrifying Austin exchanged passes with Toby King to put the result beyond any doubt. Not even King’s yellow card following a dangerous tackle with eight minutes remaining would ruin Warrington’s night – although Leeds at least avoided the ignominy of being shut-out for only the third time in Super League history when Stevie Ward touched down in the final moments. By then though, it was simply mere consolation.

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“It’s always our year,” was the in-jest chant from the Warrington supporters when Austin scored in light of the annual suggestions the big-spending Wolves could finally be about to land the title. There is a long, long way to go, but you suspect Price and his men could not have done much more to show the watching world that is firmly within their sights this season.

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