Super League: Warrington boss Tony Smith stays calm after Paul Wood exit
Thursday 8 January 2015 22:32, UK
Warrington's squad is good enough to deal with the departure of forward Paul Wood, insists boss Tony Smith.
Smith has used a portion of the space freed up on his club's salary cap to bring in Swinton hooker Andy Ackers on a month's trial and he will be given the chance to play for a full-time contract.
The shock move of long-serving Wood to Championship club Featherstone still leaves plenty of scope for Smith to further bolster his squad but he will take his time to weigh up his options.
"We've looked at our squad and we're not sure where to strengthen," Smith said.
Gary Wheeler is going to be terrific for us. I think he will prove to be a very good signing
"It's competitive enough at the moment and, unless we have some injuries, we're happy with what we've got."
The close-season capture of England hooker Daryl Clark, the reigning Man of Steel, and Fiji international forward Ashton Sims has raised hopes of Warrington being able to re-stock their trophy cabinet after a fruitless 2014.
But Smith, who has recruited former Hull and Wakefield boss Richard Agar as his new assistant, is equally excited by the signing of former St Helens utility back Gary Wheeler, who caught the eye in the Wolves' 16-0 friendly win over Widnes on Wednesday night.
"I think we've made three really good buys," Smith said.
"Gary Wheeler is going to be terrific for us. I think he will prove to be a very good signing. He suits our style of play. He's a great attacking player and I think he's going to score some tries and set up some tries."
Sims, recruited from North Queensland Cowboys, also made an encouraging first appearance against Widnes while Clark, given an extended lay-off after playing in the Four Nations Series, is set to make his Warrington debut in a friendly against Hull KR on January 25 after recovering from a wrist injury.
One player unlikely to be seen on the field for some time is back row forward Simon Grix, who is still waiting to undergo shoulder surgery because of a broken ankle and is not now expected to make his comeback until June.
Smith and Agar will finalise the team's preparations for the new season during a week-long training camp in Tenerife which starts on Saturday.
The pair will also use the time away to decide on their captain for 2015. The role was shared last year by England second rower Ben Westwood and Australian hooker Michael Monaghan, who retired at the end the season and has joined the coaching staff at Catalan Dragons.
Warrington begin their First Utility Super League against Salford on February 7 and meet St George Illawarra in the World Club Series on February 20.
