wolf at the door …
Paul Cullen’s appointment as Head Coach of the Warrington Wolves was greeted with fervour by fans starved of success for over a decade.
Here was the saviour returning. Having proven his pedigree in Whitehaven Cullen was poised to take the next step elevating the Wolves into the top tier of Super League.
No matter how you slice-and-dice it though he’s yet to take that step.
Are the Wolves better? Yes. Can they compete with the big four? On their day, yes.
And therein lies the problem. Those days are few and far between. Mostly they have ‘half days’ … games when they are competitive for a period then fall apart.
That inconsistency is endemic. It’s the spanner in the works and Cullen does not appear to know how to fix it. Blaming injuries and ill luck, whilst ostensibly valid for a short time, does nothing to explain away Warrington’s consistent under achieving.
Their current loss of form sees them tied with Hull KR as joint second bottom in Super League, just three point ahead of a Salford team that for 14 rounds was inexplicably inept but has suddenly found both spirit and form having parted company with their coach, Karl Harrison.
How long before the Wolves follow that path? I think that Cullen needs to win at least one of the next two games to fend off the axe.
The first game is Saturday lunchtime’s Carnegie Cup quarterfinal at St Helens, where victory and a semi final place would be a springboard to renewed confidence as well as potential trophy success.
The second game is a crucial Super League match-up against fellow strugglers the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. Defeat could open a five point ‘chasm’ between the Wolves and the ‘middle of the pack’ teams, leaving them tethered to second bottom place and potentially just a point above Salford. But victory would pull them back into the pack earning at least a temporary reprieve for Cullen.
Defeat in both of those games would see the Wolves condemned to a relegation dogfight that they cannot afford to lose. And if that happens I would expect Cullen to be replaced as Head Coach.
So, who would the Wolves turn to?
Well John Monie could be an intriguing short term appointment. He’s on record saying he doesn’t want to get into it full time again but as ‘Football Manager’ he could maybe tempted back for the final 10 rounds of Super League to save the Wolves skins.
Shaun McRae might be another choice if he’s not been wrapped-up by the Reds by then. And he does seem to be reluctant to commit to a Reds team that will find it very hard to dodge the National League bullet. Maybe it’s significant that he seems to be holding off committing to Salford until after the Wolves face the Saints.
NZ Coach, Brian McClellan has also indicated his desire to coach in Super League; although Leeds and possibly Saints would be in the mix for his services too.
One thing is clear. There are few if any UK based candidates for the role. This just a few short months after both Cullen and Harrison were heavily touted for the GB coaching role. Fickle fate has handed each a very bitter lesson.
Maybe a short-term appointment with McRae or Monie working alongside Cullen would be the best solution: helping a young ambitious British coach to learn and develop, whilst adding a valuable depth of experience to Warrington’s bid to stave off relegation.
