Although Sam Burgess feels his Warrington Wolves team dominated the play against Hull FC, he has lamented the game’s stoppages, which is a recurring complaint among Super League coaches this year.
With two fast goals after halftime, the Wire pulled away in the second half and defeated Hull 24–10. Their first victory since Wembley rekindled their chances of qualifying for the playoffs after they appeared to lose two straight games.
Even though the captain’s and video referee’s challenges appeared straightforward while seeing the videos, they took too long to reach a decision in the second half, which caused considerable annoyance.
Speaking after the game, Burgess said: “I was happy with the performance today – I thought we controlled large parts of the game, and I’m just happy for the players to get back in the winning circle. We’ll try and get some momentum going forward now.
“We’ve not led a game for some time – I can’t tell you how many games, but it’s been a while since we’ve led from the start and controlled a game. The players will take a bit out of it because they always felt in control, which was pleasing.
“They (Hull) are a great side, and (Aidan) Sezer really troubled us, as he’s a quality player. I thought the points they scored weren’t really as a result of pressure – they got us a bit too easily, so we’ve got a few things to fix up, but I was just happy with the effort.
“I thought we were clunky with the ball at times – we had plenty of possession in that second half, and I’d have liked a few more points, but we’ll take something out of it. There’s a lot for us to learn, and we’ve got so much to improve on, so we’ll get hard at that over the next few days, but we got what we deserved out of the game tonight.”
And as for the stoppages, Burgess insists there needs to be a quickening up of the process, referring to Lewis Martin’s video ref decision which was overturned after a try was given on-field: “I think the game was two hours again – when Rod Tai saves the try in the corner, we got the shot instantly. Within 10 seconds, we could see his (Martin’s) foot was on the line.
“Why is someone not doing that? Then you get the referees commenting on the play – make the decision and move on. It took us 10 seconds maximum to see it. It’s taking so much time.
“Again with the captain’s challenges, we saw the vision within a couple of seconds, and it’s so easy. I don’t know why we’re not being proactive with it. We can cut 20-30 minutes off game time. Let’s get the big stuff tidied up first, and let’s streamline it. I think I’m not the only coach who is saying it. The second half felt like it went on forever.”
Warrington also welcomed back Matt Dufty into the side after a fractured cheekbone, with George Williams too stepping up after reports of an NRL return emerged this week.
“He’s a really special player, and you can see that, so we do miss him,” Burgess added on Dufty. “To play the way he did on the back of being in surgery a couple of weeks ago – he’s got a couple of plates and screws in his face – is not an easy thing to do.
It’s not like I can forget about it because he keeps reminding me about it every day, but I’m happy for Duff and know that he will only grow better as the year goes on.
Regarding George, there is always conjecture, but based on what we witnessed, he is a fierce competitor and a great person to be around. Whatever occurs, I’m confident that we will get the best of him. He wants to give it his all and is really dedicated to the organisation.
“My players and I have a tight relationship, so I am aware of their situation. George and I are excellent friends, and we played together. We are able to be truthful with one another.
