“We’ve got a lot to prove” – Daryl Powell confident Warrington can deliver in 2023
Daryl Powell believes his Warrington side had to be freshened up ahead of the 2023 campaign as the head coach aims to make fans proud again in the new season.
The club has undergone a major reshuffle during the off-season, with seven players having left permanently for pastures new.
Half-back Gareth Widdop and captain Jack Hughes were a part of those to leave. Josh Charnley and Mike Cooper moved on during the season to Leigh and Wigan respectively.
Jason Clark, Matt Davis, Jacob Gannon, Oliver Holmes and Rob Mulhern have all since departed the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
Powell has brought in the likes of NRL forwards Paul Vaughan and Josh McGuire to his pack for 2023, while also adding half-back Josh Drinkwater to play alongside George Williams this year.
Powell, 57, was keen to freshen his squad up ahead of his second season in charge and is now confident that they are ready to rise to a new challenge.
Daryl Powell: It’s a fresh start for everybody
“It’s a new team. I think you can see from the guys who are here, it’s a different feel and a different vibe and we’ve got a lot to prove,” Powell said.
“I think the players who have come in have something to prove and the players who were already here have, too.
“We want to prove what we’re about and by showing everybody. That will be the big focus this year.
“There were a lot of players out of contract and I felt like it needed to be refreshed and that creates its own problems.
“I think the expectation were probably a little bit heavy. And it turned out to be. It was a tough year all the way through.
“It’s all about proving what we’re going to be about this year. It’s a fresh start for everybody. I have no excuses and I won’t look for any this year, not that I did last year to be honest.
“But we’ve got to do what we think we can do. We’ve got quality players in every position and we’ve got to deliver a quality of rugby league that makes everybody proud.
“I think we’ve got a well balanced team. We’ve got to meet the challenges head on and deliver what we think we can. It’s going to be an interesting year and I think we have a great opportunity of achieving our potential.”
“I want to make them proud”
Powell also highlighted the fact that he wants to make the fans proud again, having endured a disappointing season in 2022 that saw them finish 11th spot on the table.
“I just want to make them proud to be honest,” Powell said on the fans.
“I understand last year was a tough year. There were some tough games to watch and we want to make them proud this year.
“Generally, people around town have been awesome with me to be honest and they’ve understood what we were doing and understood where we were trying to take it.
“Now it’s about proving that and we’ve got to deliver. We’ve got to make them want to come to watch us and make them proud.
“But the time for talking is done. It’s about delivering on what I think we’re capable of.”
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