Monaghan – It’s been easy

Monaghan: loving life in Super League at Warrington

Joel Monaghan admits Super League suits him down to the ground after finding it “easy” to settle in at Warrington.

The Australian was forced to continue his career in Europe after quitting Canberra following a drunken incident at an end-of-season party.

The 29-year-old opted to join his older brother Michael at the Wolves and made an immediate impact for his new employers, scoring a try on his debut against Huddersfield at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Monaghan has now crossed 10 times in 11 matches for the Wire and was recently chosen by Exiles head coach Brian McClennan in a 22-man squad to take on England in the International Origin Match on June 10.

Great start

“It’s been easy,” he told Sky Sports News HD about getting accustomed to his new home at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

“With everything that went on it was probably the best scenario for me to come here and play with my brother, as well as people that I knew, and at a great team that has been doing well for the past couple of years.

“At the start of the season we had a few hiccups, but all-in-all it’s been a strong start for the club.”

While Monaghan has impressed with his performances on the field, the player himself has been taken aback by the standard in Super League.

He even admits that the more open style of play in the northern hemisphere suits him better, and believes that there is great strength in depth in the competition.

“I think the quality now is a lot higher,” said the former Raider who played for Australia in the 2008 World Cup final.

“As an outside back the structure suits me – they like to throw the ball around more than they did back home.

“The quality of players in all the teams it’s a very strong league. I think most teams would rival an NRL team.”