Warrington warm up for Challenge Cup final by brushing aside Hull

Warrington will return to Wembley for a second consecutive Challenge Cup final next Saturday having proved that over the last 12 months they have made sufficient progress to maintain a challenge on two fronts. This time last year the Wolves made no attempt to hide their concentration on the cup, failing even to finish in the top eight of the Super League and therefore missing out on the play-offs as their form fell away either side of their Wembley win against Huddersfield. But this was their second straight league win since they beat Catalans Dragons in the cup semi-final earlier this month as they brushed aside a robust Hull challenge that was undermined by indiscipline. The scores were level at 12-12 when the Hull second row Danny Tickle was sent to the sin-bin for holding down Richie Myler 15 minutes into the second half and while Tickle was off Ben Westwood set up one try to put Warrington ahead for the first time, then scored another himself. Myler and the captain Adrian Morley then added further scores to give the Wolves' points difference a boost that could prove significant in their battle with St Helens to finish second in the table. But Hull's defeat allowed Warrington's Wembley opponents Leeds to climb above them into the top four with a 52-6 cruise against the Catalans at Headingley - although Hull will have the chance to regain fourth by beating Leeds in the last match of the league season seven days after the cup final. Like so many coaches before him, Warrington's Tony Smith had to juggle the desire to avoid pre-Wembley injuries with the pressing need for Super League points. His response was to rest two key players - the fragile playmaker Lee Briers, and the injury-prone prop Garreth Carvell - but to field an otherwise full-strength side. "Hopefully we've refilled Lee's tank for the next couple of weeks," said Smith. "We had to raise the bar for ourselves in the second half, because in the first half we were OK and that's all." Hull's England wing Tom Briscoe opened the scoring with a brilliant finish at the right corner in the ninth minute, but his opposite number Chris Riley gained revenge after Louis Anderson's long flat pass had caught Briscoe out of position. Warrington fell behind again four minutes before half-time when Shaun Berrigan and Craig Fitzgibbon combined to send Hame Lauaki over on the left. However Riley then claimed a slick second, his 25th of the season, from an excellent inside pass from his centre partner Ryan Atkins in first-half stoppage time, and another clean Westwood conversion from wide out brought the scores level. Warrington finally put their noses in front 18 minutes into the second half, immediately after Hull had lost Tickle to the bin. Michael Monaghan exchanged passes with Westwood and sent the hooker Jon Clarke over, and within three minutes they had stretched further ahead as Westwood rounded off an enterprising passage of play including several high-risk offloads with a powerful finish from close rangepowered over. Lee Radford claimed a scrappy consolation try for Hull, but Warrington's mission had been accomplished. Leeds had a much easier night at Headingley, with Ryan Hall and Danny McGuire each scoring three of their nine tries against a Catalans team who now seem certain to finish bottom of the table. Warrington Wolves Mathers; Hicks, King, Atkins, Riley; Myler, Monaghan; Morley (capt), Clarke, Harrison, L Anderson, Westwood, V Anderson. Interchange Higham, Wood, Cooper, Solomona. Tries Riley 2, Clarke, Westwood, Morley, Myler. Goals Westwood 6. Hull Hall; Lyne, Turner, Yeaman, T Briscoe; Washbrook, Berrigan; Radford, Houghton, O'Meley, Manu, Tickle, Fitzgibbon (capt). Interchange Dowes, Lauaki, Cusack, Moa. Tries Briscoe, Lauaki, Radford Goals Tickle 3. Referee I Smith (Oldham). Attendance 10,042.