The Wire player Joe Philbin believes will thrive under added pressure
WITH several key players on the sidelines, Warrington Wolves will need other sources of inspiration for the foreseeable future.
However, Joe Philbin believes one player in particular will step up to the plate in the shape of Matt Dufty, whom he feels will thrive under the weight of added responsibility.
First-choice half-backs George Williams and Marc Sneyd will be missing when The Wire face Wigan Warriors at Magic Weekend, with the latter suffering a suspected fractured eye socket during the victory over St Helens last week to go with the former's long-term ankle injury.
In their absence, Dufty played a key role in the two second-half tries that sealed Warrington's Round Nine win, opening up the Saints defence to send Josh Thewlis away to set up Rodrick Tai before scoring the final try himself late on.
And Philbin is looking forward to seeing the Australian rise to the occasion again.
'It was a much-needed win for us against Saints, and I thought there were a lot of heroic efforts from the team,' he told the Super League website
'We had players going down left, right and centre so those are the best wins when you can come together like that and it's good for the team spirit.
'It was my favourite performance from Matt Dufty as well.
'He can come up with all the big plays and X Factor moments he likes – including that match-winner – but when Sneyd went down and we had Ben Currie and Danny Walker at halfback, he really stood up and took the leadership role.
'He's going to be massive for us especially in the next few weeks. I think he will enjoy the extra responsibility and really rise to it so I'm looking forward to seeing this.
Joe Philbin is backing Matt Dufty to thrive under added pressure in the absence of half-backs George Williams and Marc Sneyd (Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com) 'It's gutting that we've lost Marc who got that horrific face injury last week and our captain George on the sidelines – probably two of our most influential playmakers.
'But with this adversity, it means there's an opportunity for other players to step up and that excites me.
'Whoever is selected to play at the weekend should grasp the chance with two hands. The lads who don't play every week always do such an amazing job when they're called up.'
And there is, of course, an extra motivating factor for The Wire this weekend given this is their first meeting with Wigan since the two faced off in Las Vegas earlier this year.
That game was a humbling experience for Philbin and his teammates, who were on the end of a 48-24 hammering at Allegiant Stadium.
While admitting the squad will use that chastening experience to drive them on Sunday, the Warringtonian front-rower says focusing on getting their own performance right has to be the first step.
'Wigan have had the upper hand in Super League recently, so it's a good opportunity to put that right," he said.
'We didn't showcase ourselves how we wanted to in Vegas, but that's motivation for Magic this year.
'Vegas had a huge game feel and was all about putting Super League on the map in a different country, but we (Warrington) didn't really do that, which was disappointing.
'But it's a big, big motivating point for us.
'We've just got to play our game and not focus what they're doing so much.
'We've played each other enough times to know each other's threats and strengths.
'Wigan are a very settled team – they kick well through Harry Smith, they've got good forwards and then individual brilliance in Bevan French and Jai Field.
'A full team performance is going to be needed and it's all about playing our game.
'The last few times we've played Wigan, we probably haven't played our best game, so it's all about doing 'us' this time.'
Philbin and teammate Lachlan Fitzgibbon tackle Wigan's Tyler Dupree in Las Vegas (Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com) Sunday will be the fifth time the two neighbours have met at Magic Weekend, and Philbin has been lucky enough to play in all four of them.
Those previous games have resulted in two Warrington wins in 2019 and 2021, a Wigan triumph in 2018 and a draw in 2017.
'I feel lucky that I've been able to play at some of the best stadiums our country has to offer,' he said.
'As you get older, you often look back on your career and to be able to say I've played at places like St James' Park and Anfield is brilliant.
'I got to play against Wigan at Anfield and won there, which was very, very special – I'm a Liverpool fan and there are a lot of Liverpool fans in the Warrington team.
'But just to be on the big stage – that's what you want to be doing as a player as often as you can and having that big game feel is my favourite part about Magic.
'For personal reasons, Anfield was my favourite although Newcastle is also amazing. My favourite part about Newcastle is that it's right in the middle of the city.
'For example, when you nip out for a walk to get a bottle of water from the shop, you're getting greeted and cheered by the Warrington fans – or getting some stick from some of the others – but I love all that.'
Joe Philbin has played in all four Magic Weekend meetings between Warrington and Wigan, including at his beloved Liverpool FC's Anfield home ground in 2019 (Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
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