Daryl Powell calls for patience from Warrington fans after Tigers mauling

Daryl Powell went over to appease disgruntled Warrington Wolves fans on the terraces after his side suffered a 35-22 defeat at the hands of his old club Castleford Tigers.

The Wolves never recovered from a disastrous start, trailing 27-0 before staging a spirited, if fruitless, fightback, and remain in ninth place in Super League, well adrift of the play-offs, after winning just seven of their first 19 matches.

Powell, who spent eight years in charge of his home-town club before leaving to join the Wolves at the end of last season, was ridiculed by the Castleford supporters and booed by the travelling fans until addressing them post-match.

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“I’m always open to talking to people,” he said. “I’m not going to walk away from fans.

Castleford Tigers' Jason Qareqare celebrates scoring a try against Warrington Wolves Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.comCastleford Tigers' Jason Qareqare celebrates scoring a try against Warrington Wolves Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com
Castleford Tigers' Jason Qareqare celebrates scoring a try against Warrington Wolves Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com

“Things are not going the way we wanted them to go but I came here to change the culture and turn the club into a championship-winning team and I’m still doing that.

“The fact is a lot needed to change and I asked them to give me time. I’m working seven days a week to get us to where want to be. The chances are we’re not going to win the comp this year but we’ve a great chance of winning it next year.”

Powell, who has made a host of high-profile signings for 2023, admitted his team’s performance had taken the gloss of their win over Catalans Dragons at the Magic Weekend.

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“I had a great time here,” he said. “It’s been a pretty harsh experience because they kept asking me what the score was and I hate losing games.

UNDER PRESSURE: Warrington Wolves head coach Daryl Powell cam unstuck at former club Castleford Tigers Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.comUNDER PRESSURE: Warrington Wolves head coach Daryl Powell cam unstuck at former club Castleford Tigers Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
UNDER PRESSURE: Warrington Wolves head coach Daryl Powell cam unstuck at former club Castleford Tigers Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com

“Coming here and losing is tough, especially the way we did. Last week was about as complete a performance as we’ve had but this week we were all over the place.

“How we started the game was as dumb as you are ever going to see. We put ourselves under way too much pressure. We were poor defensively and conceded some real soft tries.

“The boys are trying hard but not using brains in an effective way.”

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Castleford coach Lee Radford had some sympathy for his predecessor and expects to receive similar when he visits old club Hull next week.

“He’s done a great job for the club but he was copping stick right, left and centre,” said Radford. “It’s safe to say I might be in that position this time next week.”

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