Cup loss 'galvanised' Wire to lead Super League

Matty Ashton has scored 16 tries in 19 games for Warrington this season

Warrington Wolves' Challenge Cup final loss to Wigan in June sparked a change in mindset that has led them to head the Super League table, says winger Matty Ashton.

The Wire top the standings on points difference, having exacted their revenge on Wigan with a morale-boosting thrashing of the Cherry and Whites last week.

Boss Sam Burgess has transformed Warrington in his first coaching role, yet they lost three fixtures in a row in June, including their ill-fated trip to Wembley.

"It would have been easy to be down in the dumps and lose form from there but we galvanised ourselves as a group," Ashton told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"We know we didn't do ourselves justice in [the final]. It brought the lads together and everyone wants to perform for each other at the minute."

Since losing to Salford on 14 June, Warrington have won five games in a row, with their past two victories coming away to perennial challengers St Helens and Wigan.

The Wire welcome in-form Hull KR on Friday looking to continue their impressive run with the play-offs soon approaching.

"A lot of questions were asked in that couple of weeks and I feel like we've come out the other side of it by asking ourselves where we wanted to go and what the group wanted to be," Ashton added.

"We wanted to be a tough group that fights for every game and fights for every win. We're showing that at the minute and we seem to not take our foot off the gas.

"Since I've been here there's not been many times we've beaten Wigan and St Helens, especially away from home. That's just put a massive marker down for us."