What Ryan Matterson has said about extending his Warrington Wolves stay

Yahoo

a day ago

RYAN Matterson's Warrington Wolves debut has already left fans wanting more in both the short and long-term.
His showing in defeat to Leigh Leopards last week is made all the more impressive given the context of it being his first game in more than two months and having moved to the other side of the world at less than a week's notice.
Many have seen enough to know they want to see his current arrangement – a loan deal for the rest of 2025 before returning to NRL side Parramatta Eels – made more permanent.
And it appears that also goes for the Wire hierarchy, with Matterson revealing the club have already engaged his management about a longer stay at The Halliwell Jones Stadium – and it's something he says he is open to, albeit it is far from being his current focus.
'I'm loving it,' he said in his first sit-down with the media following his arrival.
'From the top all the way to the fans, everyone has been so welcoming. I can't speak highly enough of Gary (Chambers), Sam (Burgess) and all of the boys – it's been a very smooth transition.'
When asked about being open to staying at Warrington for 2026, he replied: 'Most definitely. Whatever is the right fit for me is something I want to do.
'I'm definitely contracted to Parramatta for next year but I hadn't played much football this year, so I really needed to take the field and enjoy playing football again.
'You can't change teams within Australia after June 30, so my manager spoke to Warrington and it was a perfect opportunity to come over here.
'It all happened that quickly that I can only think short-term in terms of enjoying my football and experiencing Super League and England. I'm enjoying it so far.
'The club has spoken to my manager about the future and next year, but I've told my manager he can sort that out.
'I'm only focusing on the short-term in terms of this week and a big game against Wigan.'
Ryan Matterson is tackled by Leigh pair Joe Ofahengaue and Ben McNamara (Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com) Matterson's move to the club was confirmed during Warrington's break from fixtures, which allowed the forward to get a full week of training in with his new teammates before debuting at Leigh Sports Village.
And while he had an inkling of what to expect when he took the field, he admits he did not have chance to give it too much thought.
'I had four days to get everything sorted,' he said.
'I was more focused on getting my visa sorted, my flights and all that type of thing.
'Then when I got here, it was about ticking boxes and making sure my body was right, getting to meet the players, learning the plays and the structure.
'I was taking so much in so I didn't have time to worry about anything other than being present.
'Having so little time to prep probably did me good.
'I've had a lot of injuries this year. I've just come back from a nine-week injury and my first game back was on Friday night, so it was good to get some game time.
'I'm going to be better for it – I'm over the injury now and I'm looking for a strong end to the season.'
As a veteran of more than 180 NRL games for Sydney Roosters, Wests Tigers and the Eels, not much in rugby league is new to Matterson.
However, he gets his first taste of what is one of Super League's leading rivalries to mark his home debut for the club.
With Wigan flying high in second and Warrington down in eighth and struggling to make the play-offs, the visitors will be favourites but Matterson insists those inside the group would not see it as a shock if they bagged two points on Friday.
And in the build-up, simply being around the town has made clear to him just how important this game is.
'With the fans over here and how loud they are, people live and breath rugby league here,' he said.
'I've really noticed that driving around Warrington – I've got the club car with all the badges on so I'm getting a lot of taps on the windows saying we need to fix this and that.
'There's a lot of coaches out there but I enjoy it – I love playing for a passionate town.
'Playing in such an emotional game is a privilege because it means the people before you have created this path.
'There's a lot of history and expectation, so I'll go out there and play with pride.
'If we put in the performance we know we can at the weekend and get two points, everyone will be shocked by the result but in house, we won't be shocked.
'With how we've prepped since we've been here, there's a lot of good things that I'm seeing.
'There's been lapses – the players have been speaking about it being a familiar Achilles heel.
'We have the players, the ability and the grunt but these lapses have been bringing teams back into games when we should be wrapping them up.
'If we nullify those errors, we'll go a long way towards winning.'