Tom Lineham delivers verdict on Warrington start under Daryl Powell
It’s fair to say former Warrington winger Tom Lineham hasn’t been impressed by Daryl Powell’s side so far in 2022.
The Wakefield winger enjoyed six seasons with the Wolves, having made the move in 2016. He played in their Grand Final defeat to Wigan in his debut season.
The former York and Hull man started on the wing for their 2019 Challenge Cup triumph over St Helens. He also appeared in their 2018 Cup final defeat and the 2018 Super League Grand Final.
The 30-year-old made the move to Wakefield during the off-season on a three-year deal. He left the field with injury in the club’s loss to St Helens in round three, and is currently working on his recovery.
Lineham was a guest on the recent Super League Show on the BBC, and it’s fair to say he hasn’t been impressed by Powell’s leadership so far at Warrington.
Tom Lineham: ‘Darth Powell’
He said: “I was really excited by Daryl Powell’s announcement. He was there when Classy Cas got their name and they were renowned for their shift, particularly to the left edge.
“I was thinking is he the key to taking Warrington to the next level? The Grand Final has always eluded the club, that’s the big one, that’s all they want to do at Warrington.
“They’ve had great success in the Challenge Cup, they’ve won the league and now they want to win the Grand Final. They brought Daryl Powell in and it is kind of like Darth Powell at the minute.
“They just seem to have the life sucked out of them. I want them to go and express themselves, nail the shifts, play. It is difficult coming from a club like Castleford where expectations are lower and then you go to Warrington where you have to win every week.”
Lineham on Warrington ‘crisis’
Powell’s side sit sixth in the Super League table, with a record of three wins and two defeats so far in 2022.
The two defeats have come back-to-back, first falling to Catalans at home before a disappointing night against St Helens in round five.
Lineham continued: “There’ll be a crisis meeting there this week. You’ve got back-to-back defeats, its crisis, you can’t have it.
“It is an ambitious board and ambitious fans. They’ve got to be winning games every week so I think it will be a learning curve for him as a coach going in thinking this is the pinnacle of rugby league now in this country, I’ve got unbelievable players at my disposal, I need to get them all firing and playing to their potential and get Warrington winning games and winning in a good, flamboyant fashion.
‘I imagine he’ll be frustrated’
“Every coach needs time. I imagine he’ll be frustrated. He’ll be wanting to implement the Daryl Powell way into the club and I don’t think the players are clicking quite as quickly as he’d want. But you’ve still got an unbelievable playing group there.
“You look through the squad, there is sensational talent so you need to be winning and you need to be winning in a way. They kind of just look a bit lost at the minute, a bit lifeless.
“Toby King at centre is one of the best under the high ball in the league and I’ve not seen them kick for him. You’ve got Daryl Clark, who is an unbelievable runner out of dummy half, it is like he’s in a cage; very restricted.
“They’ve kind of gone away from the Warrington way.”
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