Warrington prop Paul Vaughan ‘disagrees’ Wigan were the better team – ‘we got beat’

For Warrington prop Paul Vaughan, it also represented a missed opportunity in his first major final with the club. Vaughan joined Wolves last season from the Canterbury Bulldogs and has been a big part of their good form this season.

QUIZ: Can you spot these 10 players from the Super League era?

Vaughan believes Warrington Wolves ‘beat themselves’

Credit: Imago Images

Warrington had the better of the opening exchanges before Wigan turned the game around with two first-half tries. Bevan French in particular was inspirational for the Warriors as they overcame a determined but ultimately wasteful Warrington side.

Asked if he thought Warrington were beaten by the best side on the day, Vaughan disagreed. He believes Wolves were the architects of their own downfall and produced their worst performance on the biggest stage.

Vaughan said: “I don’t think I agree with that (Wigan being the best team). I think we were, I think we beat ourselves up. I think we probably left, you know, left our worst game on the biggest stage, which is pretty frustrating. Obviously, you know, they got the points, but it’s hard to say that, you know.

“It’s quite frustrating but that’s OK, we’ll build from it. We’re building this year, we’ve had a great season so far and we’re going to get back on the horse and we’ve got a game on Friday to worry about now so we’re going to keep pushing forward.”

Vaughan does not believe the early yellows influenced the result

Credit: Imago Images

The main talking point in the game was the two yellow cards issued in the opening exchanges. Both contained elements of controversy and will certainly be debated after the game. Asked what impact the incidents had on the game, Vaughan said he believed the incidents balanced each other out.

“Well, for them, you know, a middle becomes a sin in the first eight minutes, and the next game, you know, the next set, you throw the ball over the rim, which is a little frustrating.

“And then Dufty goes the same way, so it sort of balances the game doesn’t it, but obviously a bit of a strange start, but yeah, it’s frustrating, all in all. “

However, Vaughan believes Wolves can take inspiration from the defeat and use it as motivation for the rest of the season.

“I think we’re getting a bit overconfident, obviously the scoreboard doesn’t just reflect how close the teams are, I think watching the game I think you can see we didn’t play that well, we didn’t finish. That’s great. It’s hard to make a good assessment, but I think deep down we know how good we are as a team and that’s frustrating, that we said that today.”