Where are they now? The Warrington Wolves side that beat St Helens in 2019 Challenge Cup final
The Warrington Wolves line-up in the 2019 Challenge Cup final
St Helens will host neighbours Warrington Wolves on Sunday afternoon in a mouth-watering Challenge Cup quarter-final.
The last time Warrington won the prestigious Cup competition was five years ago, with Steve Price’s side running out 18-4 winners against heavy favourites St Helens at Wembley on a baking-hot day when the odds were stacked against them.
Price departed the Wire two years later to return to his Australian homeland, where he is currently an assistant coach to Craig Fitzgibbon at Cronulla Sharks. But what about the rest of the team who took to the field under the Wembley arch that day? Here’s what happened next in their careers..
1. Stefan Ratchford
Ratchford might hail from Wigan, be is an adopted Warringtonian now. He is one of club’s longest-serving players, having been at the Halliwell Jones Stadium since 2012. The 35-year-old, who is in the final year of his contract with the Wolves, has scored 89 tries and kicked 618 goals in 333 appearances for the club to date.
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2. Tom Lineham
Lineham spent six seasons in primrose and blue between 2016 and 2021, being part of the side that lifted the Challenge Cup under the famous Wembley arch in 2019. Since leaving Warrington in 2021, Lineham went on to spend two years at Wakefield Trinity, which included a spell on loan at Featherstone Rovers. He is currently in the Championship with York Knights, where his professional rugby league career started.
3. Bryson Goodwin
The former New Zealand international only spent two seasons in Super League with Warrington, but he was a fan favourite at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, scoring 26 tries in 61 appearances. He had a final season in the NRL in 2020 with Cronulla Sharks before hanging up his boots. We’re not sure what he’s doing in life post-rugby, so if you know, let us know!
18. Toby King
The Huddersfield-born centre is another player from the 2019 Challenge Cup-winning side who is still at the club, but he’s worn the colours of a few more clubs since then. He had a 12-match loan spell with Huddersfield Giants in 2021 before spending last season out on loan at Wigan Warriors, where he became a Super League champion. King is back at parent club Warrington now though under coach Sam Burgess.
5. Josh Charnley
Former Wigan winger Charnley returned to rugby league in 2018 with Warrington after spending two years in rugby union with Sale Sharks. He would spend five seasons with the Wolves, scoring 69 tries in 108 appearances. Charnley has been with Leigh Leopards since 2023, helping Adrian Lam’s side lift the Challenge Cup at Wembley last August.
11. Ben Currie
The 29-year-old forward is a one-club man, having made 265 appearances for Warrington since making his first team debut in 2012. A former Golborne Parkside junior, Currie has won international honours with England and Ireland. He could well see out his career with the Wolves, with his current deal only due to expire at the end of 2026.
15. Dec Patton
Patton came through the academy at his hometown club Warrington, making his first team debut in 2015. The 28-year-old spent seven seasons in the Wire first team, scoring 16 tries and kicking 143 goals in 106 appearances.
The former England Knights international currently plays for Swinton Lions in the Championship after having spells with Salford Red Devils and Bradford Bulls following his departure from Warrington in 2021.
8. Chris Hill
The England stalwart was a part of the Warrington furniture for the best part of a decade, playing 297 games for the club between 2012 and 2021. Former Leigh prop Hill, who has represented his country in the last three World Cups, moved to Huddersfield in 2022, where he remains to this day.
9. Daryl Clark
The former Man of Steel was one of Warrington’s key players during his nine seasons with the Cheshire club between 2015 and 2023, making 243 appearances. He left the Wire to take up a three-year contract with neighbours St Helens from 2024, and has hit the ground running with Paul Wellens’ side.
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10. Mike Cooper
Like Patton, Cooper came through the ranks at hometown club Warrington. He spent 14 seasons in total with the Wire across two spells, having three-year period in the NRL with St George Illawarra Dragons in the middle. The two-time Challenge Cup winner left his boyhood club midway through the 2022 campaign to join rivals Wigan, where he remains today.
13. Ben Murdoch-Masila
The Tongan powerhouse was a fan favourite during his time in Super League with Salford and Warrington due to his barnstorming carries. The Wolves signed Murdoch-Masila from Salford ahead of the 2018 season, making 68 appearances over three seasons. He returned to the NRL in 2021 with the New Zealand Warriors, and now plays for St George Illawarra Dragons.
12. Jack Hughes
Hughes was one of Warrington’s heroes that day in 2019. He wore a cricketer’s box in the final after suffering a ruptured testicle just three weeks prior.
The 32-year-old, who came through the ranks at hometown club Wigan, spent seven seasons at Warrington, where he became club captain. He made the move to Leigh in 2023 alongside Charnley and Matt Davis, where he now plies his trade.
14. Jason Clark
Many people in the game deem Clark to be one of the nicest guys in rugby league. The Australian forward arrived at Warrington in 2019 after spending a decade in the NRL with his beloved South Sydney Rabbitohs, winning the NRL Premiership in 2014. Clark spent four years at Warrington before finishing his career with a stint in the French Elite 1 Championship with Limoux in 2023.
Clark currently works with the Rabbitohs in the player welfare department, and has an interest in coaching.
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19. Sitaleki Akauola (Sub)
The former Tonga international arrived in Super League with Warrington in 2018 after stints in the NRL with Wests Tigers and Penrith Panthers. Akauola spent four seasons in the primrose and blue before going on to play for Salford in 2022. He has been in the Championship with French side Toulouse Olympique since last year.
17. Joe Philbin (Sub)
Similar to Currie, Philbin is a proud one-club man, having been with hometown club Warrington for his entire career. The 29-year-old has made more than 200 appearances for the Wolves since his first team debut in 2014.
Philbin has also won international honours for Great Britain, England and Ireland.
23. Matt Davis (Sub)
The Leicestershire-born forward signed for Warrington in 2019 from London Broncos, where he came through the capital club’s academy ranks. Davis played 62 games for the Wolves over four seasons, and has been at Leigh since 2023 alongside his former Warrington team-mates Charnley and Hughes.
22. Jake Mamo (Sub)
The Australian back was used as a utility player from the bench on that baking-hot day in 2019. It was his first season at Warrington, with the former Newcastle Knights man having joined the club from fellow Super League side Huddersfield.
Mamo spent three seasons at Warrington, scoring 29 tries in 56 appearances, before moving to Castleford Tigers in 2022. The 29-year-old departed the Tigers in the early rounds of 2023, announcing his retirement from rugby league with immediate effect.
Coach: Steve Price
Price enjoyed four seasons coaching Warrington between 2018 and 2021, guiding the Wolves to the 2019 Challenge Cup despite the odds being stacked against them that day. The Australian won 63 out of his 102 games in charge of the Wire, having 63 win percentage.
Price moved back to his Australian homeland with his family at the end of the 2021 season, and he is currently assistant coach to Craig Fitzgibbon at NRL side Cronulla Sharks.
Price’s assistants on that day were Andrew Henderson, who is now the head coach of Championship club York Knights, and Lee Briers, who is currently on the coaching staff at Brisbane Broncos.
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