Steve Price: Wembley defeat made us hungrier for success
Warrington coach Steve Price said their defeat in the Challenge Cup final made them want to reach the Super League Grand Final even more.
The Wolves beat favourites St Helens 18-13 at the Totally Wicked Stadium in the semi-final on Thursday night.
They will face either Wigan Warriors or Castleford Tigers at Old Trafford next Saturday and Price said their defeat to Catalans Dragons at Wembley spurred them on to reach another final this year.
He said: “I’m super proud of the players, we said at the start of the week that every single player needed to contribute to the biggest game of the year and we certainly did.
“For a couple of weeks after the Challenge Cup final, I still was unsure on which way our season would go to be honest. We had some home truths and pretty brutal sessions on the back of Wembley because we were really disappointed. We have got a lot of people in our club who care about each other and that showed tonight.
“There was something really burning from that performance at Wembley and that stood us in good shape – just look at where we are now.
“I have always got the utmost confidence in the playing group and we have come a long way from when I first came to the club. We need to raise the bar again next week.”
Price paid credit to his side for turning over the competition favourites, who lifted the League Leaders’ Shield midway through the Super 8s, in their own back yard.
He added: “To keep St Helens to just one try on their home pitch was great and it was a super effort from us.
“I’m really proud of all the players. They have been the number one attacking team, the number one defensive team and the most consistent team all season by a mile, so to go to their home ground and dish up a performance like that – I’m really happy.
“I’m pleased that all of the players and the board believed in me and we need another performance like that next week, there is still one game to go.
“The start is really important next week. We didn’t start well at Wembley, so our start is really important.”
Steve Price revealed that Mike Cooper had suffered a scratch on his retina (eye) and will be assessed further in the coming days.
