Matty Ashton says his thrilling chase-down of Ash Handley is the sort of big effort under-pinning Warrington’s push for glory.
Wolves coach Sam Burgess heralded the England winger’s try-saving tackle on Super League’s top scorer as “pretty special” in Friday’s 34-8 rout of Leeds. He turned on the afterburners to fly crossfield after his international team-mate picked off a Warrington kick and looked certain to race 90m and score.
And Handley, who has scored some spectacular tries this term, seemed to have got the better of Ashton at one point.
But the electric Warrington ace somehow recovered and bundled the Leeds star into touch to prevent his side potentially going 10-0 down. It proved crucial as the visitors got off the mark soon after and never looked back to deliver an emphatic win that put them top.
Ashton, 25, recalled: “We know Ash Handley and the threat he’s got. We prepped that in the week just to get a head start because we know he loves an intercept and has a lot of pace. He turned me inside out, to be fair, and had me a bit frightened. I turned my back completely on him so I lost where he was.
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“But when it’s a footrace I back myself if we’re going straight. Luckily, I managed to get him in the end and we got the ball back. It was a big effort at the time. We’ve been working on big moments like that and that’s what we needed to get the win.”
As Warrington prospered with a six-try victory, Handley later ended up in hospital with a broken rib to compound Leeds’ miseryas they fell to a third defeat in four outings. But confident Wolves turn their attention to next Sunday’s mouthwatering Challenge Cup quarter-final at derby rivals St Helens. Ashton admitted: “It’s a massive game.
Leeds' Ash Handley sets off on his 90m run - before getting chased down by Matty Ashton (PA)"We’re preparing for that now. We’ve got nine days to get our heads around it but we’re being humble. We know, as a team, we’re not getting carried away. It’s just outside noise [about being top]. We know what’s going on in the changing room and all eyes are on St Helens now. We’re fully focused.”
As Warrington bid to move within 80 minutes of Wembley, he will be up against another England winger - former Golden Boot winner Tommy Makinson. Ashton earned his second cap and scored two tries after coming in for the injured Saints star in last autumn’s second Test against Tonga. He said: “Tommy is unbelievable. Just watching him and the way he carries the ball, he’s a big inspiration of mine.
“But I’ll be showing what I can do as well and competing for that win. One on one I’ll make sure I do my best to come out on top. It [England spot] is always in the back of your mind. But first and foremost we need to go on a run. This club deserves trophies and we’ll be going all out to get that win.”
Ashton, meanwhile, has praised former Warrington, Saints and Great Britain centre Martin Gleeson for transforming Wolves’ attack in 2024. The ex-Engand RU attack coach came in late last season ahead of Burgess’ arrival and Ashton said: “He’s been class. You can see with the points we’re scoring. It’s unreal the difference he’s made and he is a breath of fresh air. We know if we can defend we can always score points through what Gleese has done. It’s the defence we’re working on most.”
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