With Josh being confirmed as captain for the upcoming season, he's sat down for his first interview as captain and has spoken on a variety of topics - including his background, his visions for team and the club as a whole.

Read on for the full conversation.

Hi Josh, congratulations on being made club captain. How did this opportunity come about?

I was approached by the coaches a couple of months ago now and asked if I would consider taking up the captain’s role next season and I had no hesitation in saying “Yes” straight away. It’s a great honour to be given this opportunity and I’m really looking forward to the coming season. I’d like to take this chance on behalf of the team to thank Sean Hughes for his time as skipper. Hughesy led the team for past three years, has done a great job in pushing the team forward and we’ve felt the benefit both on and off the pitch. Andy and John therefore simply asked me if I was interested in carrying on what Hughesy had started. I’ll personally be looking to call on Hughesy and his experience often; it will be a huge help to the team and me having him around. Hughesy has great experience and I’m sure he can teach me a lot regarding captaincy both on and off the pitch. He is a big character and carries huge respect from the players.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your time at the club.
I was one of the lads there at the very start of what is now the M&Js section when Steve Riley began on a cold, wet, Sunday morning in September 1999. From just a handful of kids that first morning the M&Js now has around 250 boys & girls and is a huge success. It is such a huge privilege to now captain this club and to still be playing alongside the likes of Josh Riley and Tom Arnold who’ve also been there from the start. With the success of the M&Js now, I’m sure that there will be many more captains of this club that come through the ranks. Having become an established player in the 1st XV over the last few seasons and with my experience of captaining through the juniors and also at university, I’m both confident and excited about the season ahead.

What will your approach be and what do you think you can add to the captaincy?
I hope to carry on a lot of what Hughesy has brought to the club as we have been very successful under him. Whilst I am keen to put my own stamp on the position I fully respect what he’s done and don’t want to take too much away from that. I intend to be hands-on with my off the pitch duties, on the pitch I’ll be trying to lead from the front and continue to be as vocal as I can. Sean and I are different players but I hope I can emulate how he has led with his work ethic and I’ll always be looking to lead the team forward with the ball in hand.

How do you think last season went and what can we realistically achieve this year?
Last year was a mixed season considering at the turn of the year we were second and in a commanding position but we sometimes struggled to see out games we should have won and ended up dropping points to finish mid-table. The highs of last season suggest to me that this team is certainly capable of more. We are currently working our socks off in our pre-season training sessions and I believe this team can be fighting for those top spots come the end of the season.

What areas do we need to develop on from last year?

As mentioned, we forfeited too many points, particularly in the second half of the season when the weather turned and the pitches were heavier. I think we can protect the ball more, build pressure more consistently and not yield possession as easily as we sometimes did, especially from un-forced errors. I think that we need to be better at adapting our style of play more specifically to the game situation, the opposition and weather conditions. Albeit we will always stay true to our brand by trying to play fast and attacking rugby from any area on the pitch.

What makes Warrington Rugby Union Club special?

Looking at the club as a whole our M&Js section now hosts around 250 kids and having been in the first intake of Minis, it’s great to see so many youngsters and their families in the club. Credit needs to go to the club’s management teams, as I’m sure that there is a massive amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to keep the wheels turning so effectively. Whilst we don’t have the spending budgets that some clubs have, we do have a great tradition and spirit at the club and I think we punch well above our weight considering. There is a genuine family feel to the club all the way from our Minis on a Sunday morning, to the senior squads on a Saturday afternoon. Also, the wealth of quality coaches and volunteers across all age groups that give up their time to develop our players is absolutely outstanding. Off the back of several seasons of success for our older Junior teams; regularly getting to and winning Lancashire/ Cheshire cup finals - we are seeing a level of confidence making transition to senior rugby as easy as possible. Both the 1s and 2s benefitted last year from a number of colts players stepping up and the likes of Harry Kellett and Tom McEniff more than holding their own in the 1st XV. From a senior point of view, we are a team that plays some great rugby and punches above its weight both physically and fiscally in the highest level of the regional leagues.

Fast forward 12 months, what would you like to be saying?
I would like to be able to say that Warrington’s 1st XV is now a National League side and that we feel confident that we can push on further. That our 2nd XV has also enjoyed a season pushing for promotion too and that the M&Js teams have had their most successful year to date. Most of all, that everyone has enjoyed their season playing rugby at Warrington RUFC and that the club continues to go from strength to strength both on and off the pitch.
I’d like to think that with the wealth of quality players now coming through the junior section and the quality and dedication of our coaching staff this team can make to the National League’s and stay there for some time.