Wigan will miss ‘Man of Steel’ O’Loughlin

Ahead of his side’s clash with Wigan on Monday night, Warrington head coach Tony Smith has heaped praise on Warriors captain Sean O’Loughlin.

O’Loughlin, 30, required an operation on a troublesome knee injury and while there is no set date for his return, he will definitely miss the highly anticipated clash against the Wolves.

For Smith this is good news because in his eyes O’Loughlin is the leading contender for this season’s Man of Steel award.

Smith said, “Wigan are a well-structured side and everyone knows their job. Obviously they have Sam Tomkins who is capable of the unbelievable but for me it will be interesting to see them without Sean O’Loughlin.

“He has been their stand-out player and in my opinion he is the Man of Steel so far this season.

“He’s a very smart player and he knows when to step-up and do the hard stuff.”

Smith did go on to say that some of his own squad have also been in great form, “Stefan Ratchford‘s consistency has been outstanding and Richie Myler has had a really good year as well.”