MATTY Ashton could have been forgiven for not wanting the 2024 season to end.

By the time it did, however, he admits he was in desperate need of a chance to get away from the game completely.

Last year saw Warrington Wolves’ flying winger continue his exponential rise by racking up the highest try total of his career.

Indeed, the 32 touch-downs he managed made him the first Wire player to pass 30 tries in a single season since Joel Monaghan scored an incredible 38 in 2014 – and was just the 10th player in the club’s history to do so.

Matty Ashton scored 32 tries for Warrington Wolves during the 2024 season (Image: John Clifton/SWpix.com) He followed that up by scoring three tries in two matches for England against Samoa, further entrenching himself as first-choice on the flanks for national team boss Shaun Wane.

Despite the individual accolades, however, there were some intense lows collectively such as losing the Challenge Cup Final and the Super League semi-final.

And as such, Ashton felt he needed to get away.

“I took a lot of time for myself this year and had a fair bit of a break,” he said.

“I did a lot of travelling and just switched off, which really helped me mentally.

“It had been a long old year so I felt like I needed to switch off completely from the game for a bit.

“It was difficult with the Challenge Cup Final ending how it did, and the Hull KR game – luckily, I got to finish on a high with England but I wanted to switch off for a bit.

“I felt a lot more consistent and that I was performing to what my levels should be most weeks. It dipped sometimes but I felt I was always there to bring it back the next week.

“We fell short on the silverware front and that’s the main goal.

“Personal accolades are always nice but if we’re not winning things, it doesn’t mean anything.”

The extended break the 25-year-old had meant pre-season had already long since begun by the time he and his fellow England representatives returned to training just before Christmas.

Getting himself in-tune for a new season off a shorter run-up, however, is something he is clearly going to have to get used to.

“Sometimes, you feel a bit undercooked when you come back and the lads are firing having been in for a few weeks,” he said.

“It’s something you get used to – it means you have to keep on top of yourself during the off-season.

“You get a short time back in before Christmas and then it’s keeping on top of things over the break.

“Once you’re back in then, it’s back to normal.”

With the squad still largely the same as last year, Ashton says getting down to business has been easier than usual, with players all clear about what head coach Sam Burgess expects.

Now, he knows it is all about putting that onto the pitch for the wider public to see.

“Everyone’s hit the ground running because we all know what Sam wants and expects from us,” he said.

“Obviously, you have to introduce new things if you want to keep growing as a team, but we’ve adapted really well to those.

“All the boys are just raring to go now.”