MARTIN Poste has said that his Northwich players demonstrated a growing maturity during an opening-day success at Anselmians last weekend.

Blacks repeated a victory against the same opponents in the Cheshire RFU Vase a week earlier, only this time without key men Joel Barber, Will Du Randt and Chris James.

“We probably went over a psychological barrier,” said the director or rugby.

“It makes a big difference when you have guys like that missing – they’re players that put coal on your fire – and yet we’ve still proven we can win a difficult game without them.

“That has an impact on the opposition too; they’ll have looked at our side and been happy not to see two or three lads who ran lines that caused them so much damage.

“But we have other ways in which we can hurt teams now.”

READ: Anselmians 13-21 Northwich: match report

He told the Guardian that this weekend’s opponents, Warrington, would provide another exam of Blacks’ promotion credentials.

The visitors to Moss Farm will be buoyed too by an eye-catching 19-15 victory at Birkenhead Park on their season bow last Saturday.

Poste said: “They’ll bring a big pack backed up by the rugby league boys who we know can play.

“The games between us are always close, and I expect this one to be no different.

“We’ll keep playing our way, to our strengths.

"There was a solidity too us against Annies that was good to see.

"That's something that has evolved, and will continue to."

Kick-off tomorrow is at 3pm.