Wello: Saints nurturing youth, but seeking outside recruits

He again confirmed that the club is looking for external recruits - not simply promoting from within - to strengthen the side moving forward. 

MC: If there was a desperation for a good performance last week, is there now a desperation for some league points or should the improved performance lead to the points?

PW: We're very performance driven and hopefully the results come off the back of that. We are going through a challenging period at the moment.

But what I like about the group in those challenging periods is how they come together and don’t look for excuses.

We're in the situation that we're in, but we prepare well every week and train as hard as we can to put in a good performance on the weekend and this week is no different.

(Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

MC: When it boils down to it, the team has lost three games in a row – do you have a calculation of where you are on the table and what you are get from the rest of the season. Or are you a week-to-week coach, taking into account what you have available?

PW: We look at the situation for what it is and given the fact that we are missing a number of influential players at the moment, I'm asking a lot of a small group of players to back up week on week and keep finding that effort.

So I'm very realistic in terms of where we're at this moment in time but the team don't look for excuses in the situation that we're in.

We have got a responsibility every time you pull on this jersey to go out there and compete the best we can. That's what we got last week and we're looking for the same on Friday against Warrington.

MC: Going back to Friday night Matty Lees often goes under the radar in terms of how he leads that pack, and a depleted pack at that, but he had some back up there against Wigan?

PW: Matty can quite often go under the radar or quite often be the unsung hero because you come to expect what he does week in, week out.

But given the fact we are missing a number of key senior players at the moment, Matty has been one of those who has really stepped to the front and led the pack.

He has been well supported by a good number of experienced players Curtis Sironen, James Bell, Agnatius Paasi and Daz Clark and then also the two young lads George Delaney and Noah Stephens as well.

We need these lads to step up. They have been stepping up and the challenge will continue this week.

(Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

MC: Matty didn't get cowed by that first minute yellow card. Sometimes you can go back into your shell after an incident like that but thankfully no further action from the MRP?

PW: I felt it was a little harsh on the night, but obviously that's the way the game is going at the moment.

We accept the situation for what it is, what I was really pleased with was we didn't let the fact that we went down to 12 men affect us.

We continued to turn up and compete for each other and defended our line with some brilliant resilience throughout that period. I was pleased that the lads responded in the manner that they did.

MC: Obviously, you tweaked the 1-6 -7 last week and that created a little bit of buzz, are minded to keep with that because you have options, particularly with Moses Mbye coming back?

PW: More likely, I think they did a good job and I think I envisage too many changes this week but we have got a couple we are monitoring at the moment with bumps, bruises and niggles from that game and I hope they come through.

But If that's the case we'll adapt accordingly. But I am inclined to reward the players who put in a great performance and a great effort at the weekend.

(Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

MC: In the last two weeks you've debuted three young lads – is seeing these lads, throwing them in and seeing what they can do in first team, giving you a better picture of what you need for external recruitment as well?

PW: Yes, it does. We always have to have to have one eye on the future, one year, two years, three years.

And when you are going through things like this and you've got a youth system like ours, you never want players to be injured and out, but what it what it does do is give us an opportunity to see what some of these lads can do.

And obviously it forces your hand a little bit to give them opportunity.

And as with Harry Robertson on the weekend, he showed that he can compete at that level, as Noah Stephens has done throughout the course of the year as George Delaney did last year.

So throughout these tough periods, you can probably come out of them – and I believe we will come out of this tough period in a much better position because we know that there’s three, four or five guys that we can trust in big games that we did not have the evidence of previously.

MC: But in terms of recruitment and you've seen what the young lads can do in some positions, but does that confirm the areas where you definitely have bring in from outside? Or are you still keeping your cards close to your chest on your external recruitment?

PW: We're definitely looking at external recruitment and where we can bring in and strengthen.

What we have to be really mindful of with players like Harry and Noah is that they are still only teenagers and what we do is gradually build them into the environment, gradually develop them. And like any young player they will have tough periods – that is only natural.

We're excited about what those young players can bring and there's others who haven't had an opportunity who we're really excited about too.

We'll nurture them in the right way and hopefully they'll be good players for us, not just in the immediate future, but in the long term.

MC: Warrington are a dangerous side and they've got plenty of pace in that side and obviously we saw what they did in that Challenge Cup game. Those threats are still there, aren't they? They're pretty potent when they are given free rein to run, aren't they?

MC: They have got a lot of strike within their team, George Williams is obviously the most notable and Matt Duffy is having a fantastic season.

They are very dangerous in the middle of the field, with Danny Walker out at 9 and Matty Ashton on the flanks – there is a lot of speed there.

We obviously found out earlier on this year (in the Challenge Cup) how dangerous they can be. So we are going to have to perform well on the weekend and in particular defend well.

MC: And Luke Yates is a surprising addition for this year – a tough cookie who you have come across many times?

PW: Luke Yates is a very workmanlike - probably one of those players that a lot of his teammates love to play alongside.

It seems to be one of those players that does a lot of the unfancied work, but all the unfancied work that it does do makes players around him much better. He is a great addition for Warrington.