WARRINGTON Wolves hope the signing of Kurt Gidley helps to solve a problem that was proving ‘difficult’ to overcome.

Boss Tony Smith has been looking for a strong leader in one of the pivotal team positions for some time, with the services of influential stand off Lee Briers and full back Brett Hodgson both being lost at the end of 2013 and hooker Mick Monaghan 12 months later.

Chris Bridge came to the rescue with a successful switch to the halves last year, but there has been little stability in the 1, 6 and 7 triumvirate – considered so important to teams these days – since then due to injuries and young players learning their trade.

“It’s hard to wave a magic wand with availability. These sorts of players don’t come along too often,” said Wolves’ head of coaching and rugby.

“We’re in the midst of developing our own.

“We’re not sitting around waiting for it to happen or complaining about it.

“When you get players to play in crucial roles like half back or full back, they’re not readily available – not with experience and a proven track record.

“If they’ve got a good track record they stay put with their current clubs, or if they’re younger and handling the NRL for instance then nobody’s going to be able to offer money to entice those sorts of players away.

“Or, if they’re English and playing in Super League, nobody’s going to let that sort of player go when they’ve got them.

“It’s a difficult one to solve if you need to. It’s a difficult position to strengthen.”

But in 32-year-old Gidley, with 24 representative games under his belt for Australia and New South Wales, Wolves believe they have the right man on board to take them forward in 2016.

The full back, stand off and scrum half combinations have proved to be tricky all year for Smith and his first-team coach Richard Agar, both of whom wore the number 6 shirt in their playing careers.

Gareth O’Brien and Richie Myler started well together in the halves this year, with Stefan Ratchford at full back.

A shoulder injury to Ratchford at Hull FC in Super League round two brought about the first change, with winger Kevin Penny switching to full back.

Then Myler was sidelined after the World Club Series clash with St George Illawarra Dragons, requiring a sportsman’s hernia operation, leaving recent arrival Gary Wheeler and Bridge to have stints as O’Brien’s partner.

A calf tear in training and a further injury in his comeback game put Wheeler out of the picture, handing Ratchford a start in the halves only to be shuffled away straight away due to an ankle injury picked up by Matty Russell in the defeat at Widnes in the first of the Easter games.

Myler’s return in the home loss to Castleford on Easter Monday was the last time Smith called on O’Brien in the halves, instead handing Declan Patton his Super League debut in the 80-0 home success against the hapless Wakefield and the 19-year-old has kept the role alongside Myler since.

“We’ve got some terrific half backs when they’re fit and healthy but unfortunately for us this year we’ve had different half backs because of injuries and we’ve had to chop and change,” said Smith.

“The only person who was consistently there was Gareth O’Brien and he was probably holding the brunt of not having a regular experienced player next to him and he wore it pretty heavily for a while.

“It felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders to get a team around the field and he’s still a young player who’s trying to develop that sort of experience.

“He probably needed somebody with experience alongside of him.”

O’Brien has, instead, featured with partner club North Wales Crusaders in League One, until coming off the bench in the Challenge Cup tie at Dewsbury Rams, and was man of the match in a 50-18 win at South Wales Scorpions.