PLAYERS are not usually available for interview in mid-morning, but the Warrington Wolves were on Thursday. For no obvious reason, first-team coach James Lowes switched training to the afternoon, one of the small but unexpected changes to routine that can be more significant than they appear. Just as his opponents never knew what to expect from Lowes the player, so the Warrington squad are learning that it is equally hard to second guess Lowes the coach.

And that, according to prop Adrian Morley, may be one of the reasons the former Great Britain hooker has made such an impact since taking over from Paul Cullen. “He likes to mix it up without warning, maybe only once a week, so you suddenly find yourself doing something different,” said Morley. “It’s one of the things people have picked up on, and it’s never a bad thing to keep players on their toes, but the thing with Jimmy is that although there’s this quirky, laid-back approach you see in interviews, he’s got another side. When he used to play he was quite ruthless in getting what he wanted, and it’s that which comes across in his coaching.

“So if from the outside he can come across as a bit of a joker, it’s not like that behind the scenes, or at least not when the work is being done. It’s the same in matches. He doesn’t mind you trying something, but only in the right circumstances. The basics have to be rock solid.”

Morley, whose form is one of the reasons Wolves have won seven of their past nine games – he has played every one of the Wolves’ 24 Super League games this season, and going into this weekend’s round of matches, only Saints’ James Graham and the Catalans full-back Clint Greenshields had made more than Morley’s 3,195 metres with ball in hand – says he is not surprised Lowes has made an immediate impact. “I know him as well as most because I had a couple of years playing with him at Leeds and played against him when he went to Bradford, and then again together for the national sides. We toured together too, so I knew what kind of player he was and what sort of guy, and he coaches in the same nononsense manner. He’s a tough taskmaster, and all the boys have reacted well to him and his methods.”

Last week’s extraordinary match against St Helens at Knowsley Road, which Wolves lost by a single point in the last action of the game after having been the better team for much of the match, was the best indication yet that after years of promising much but failing to deliver, this may finally be Warrington’s year. Lowes and his coaching team have tightened up the Wolves defence, and as Morley acknowledges, if they are not conceding, they are always in a game. Their last two matches are a case in point: Leeds and St Helens have the most potent attacks in Super League, averaging 31 and 35 points per match, but Leeds were held to 12 and Saints 17.

“We’ve worked hard on our organisation but the signs of improvement are there,” said Morley. “Jimmy has stressed that completing your sets is part of defence as well as attack, simply because it cuts down the number of tackles you have to make. The importance of confidence is underrated. After starting the season well, our form plummeted, but we’ve picked it for the playoffs.”

Expectations in the stands at the Halliwell Jones stadium, always high at the start of recent seasons but always dashed, have risen on the back of the Wolves’ run of form. That is another area where things have changed, says Morley; some players had found it hard to cope with the pressure but this season the youngsters in particular are thriving on it. Wingers Kevin Penny and Chris Riley, together with forwards Mike Cooper, Lee Mitchell and Matty Blythe, have become key members of the first-team squad.

“They’ve done brilliantly and they’re all local lads too,” said Morley. “Somebody said the other day the future was looking good for the club, but these lads can do it now.”

- CATALANS DRAGONS clinched a home tie in the engage Super League playoffs after coming from behind to secure a 22-20 victory in front of 12,127 fans at Huddersfield last night.

Warrington v Hull KR, today, 3pm