ONCE upon a time, Warrington Wolves were the kings of the starstruck signing.

Alfie Langer, Andrew Johns, Greg Inglis – all modern-day icons of the game who have pulled on the primrose and blue in the not-too-distant past.

That is not to say the chasing of big names will never completely go away – take the appointment of Sam Burgess as their head coach, for example – but with Gary Chambers at the helm as director of rugby, the focus has shifted to producing their own and, perhaps more pertinently, putting trust in them.

At a club where expectations are always high, that is not always easy but it is a policy Chambers is determined to see through having borne plenty of fruit in 2024.

The likes of Adam Holroyd and Leon Hayes made sustained first-team breakthroughs and have been backed to take up more permanent roles in the side in 2025, with the club having opted against recruiting more established names in their respective positions.

Arron Lindop and Cai Taylor-Wray were the latest stars to emerge from the club’s increasingly productive academy and with exactly half of the club’s first-team squad – 16 out of 32 – being either Warrington-born or academy-produced (both in plenty of cases), the direction of travel is clear.

Academy graduate scrum-half Leon Hayes has been handed the number seven jersey for 2025 (Image: Joe Richardson)

And that, Chambers says, is going to require patience on all sides.

“At some point, these young lads are going to have a different sort of experience,” he said.

“It was all fresh and new last year but now, they’re going to come up against some real barriers.

“There will be challenges and that’s their next step – they’ll take steps forward but they may take a couple back, which is part of the learning process.

“Ultimately, they’ll be better for it in the long-term.”

In certain areas of the field, that reliance upon young players is going to be greater – in the second row, for example, the four specialist players Sam Burgess has at his disposal in that position have 168 top-flight appearances between them, and 135 of those belong to Lachlan Fitzgibbon.

Indeed, Chambers namechecked back-rower Nolan Tupaea as one of those he hopes will make a similar impact to those that came before him.

“I’d hope that the likes of Tom Whitehead and Nolan Tupaea will be able to take that next step and contribute a few more games this year, like Adam Holroyd did last year,” he said.

“That then eases the burden on the more established players, so the hope is that they can do that.

“Now, we’re looking at the next block to see if they’re ready to dip their toes in.

“It’s a breath of fresh air when that happens and we’re committed to doing that.”

Nolan Tupaea made his Super League debut last year (Image: Richard Walker) The “next block” Chambers is referring to will include some of the players currently populating the club’s academy side.

A few of those players got to show what they could do during the pre-season friendly against Widnes Vikings last month and ahead of their own season starting in March, there is a big carrot dangling ahead of them.

A post-season tour to Australia is again planned, including matches against age-group sides from NRL giants Penrith Panthers and Gold Coast Titans.

Lindop and Taylor-Wray were among the players who went on the last tour Down Under back in 2023, and Chambers believes the fact they were able to make an immediate impact on the first team having experienced that is no coincidence.

“It's immeasurable,” he said, speaking of why he feels tours like this one are so important.

“It’s only when you sit back and compare how they were before they went over and what they’ve achieved since they’ve come back when you realise that.

“I’m not sure they’d have been anywhere near that kind of level were it not for that tour.

“They expose you to a real quality of player in the games but it’s also being away as a group, managing yourself and challenging yourself.

“We can build muscle, speed and skill, but we have to build experience for our young players and that’s what we’ll keep doing.

“It’s hard work to try and raise that kind of money to send a group over there, but that’s all part of it.

“The lads have to raise a lot of the money themselves – there’s no freebies.

“If they work hard, they get the reward of going over there and getting to play teams like the New South Wales select side we faced a couple of years ago.

“They’re full of unbelievable talents, so for our players to walk off the field having held their own against them gives them huge belief.

“It’s not a coincidence that players like Arron Lindop and Cai Taylor-Wray were able to do what they did as a result.”

The Wire academy side went on tour to Australia at the end of 2023 and will return at the end of this year (Image: Dave Whalley) Talking of learning experiences, Chambers says his current role – one that gives him over-arching responsibility for The Wire’s entire on-field operation – is one that never ends for him.

He first returned to the club with whom he spent his entire player career, making more than 200 appearances between 1989 and 2000, as head of youth back in 2022 having previously filled several positions within the academy set-up upon retirement.

Then came the role of interim head coach following Daryl Powell’s departure, steadying the ship for the remainder of 2023 and when Burgess was named as Powell’s permanent successor, a new role was created for the most Cumbrian of Warringtonians.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve got to grips with it fully – I’m not sure I ever will! I understand it a lot better than I did but when you think you’re sorted and things are comfortable, something else comes up,” he said.

“That’s the draw with doing a job like this – it never stands still.

“Things are moving and changing constantly, but I love what I’m doing. I’m loving working with the group and the staff that we’ve got, so things are good.

“It's things like dealing with managers and agents – it’s a challenge and it is for people who are a lot more experienced with this than I am.

“Then it’s understanding how your salary cap looks, how you invest it, how much you hold back for the future – the management of the whole thing takes a bit of getting used to.

“It is really interesting – it’s a challenge but one I’m embracing.”

Gary Chambers is entering his second season as Wire's director of rugby (Image: SWPix.com)