Both deals were eventually confirmed to the usual array of opinions at both ends of the spectrum, but there were at least as many “whys” as “welcome backs” for the 30-year-old hooker who left to step out of Clark’s shadow but returns fighting to avoid being consumed by Walker’s.

In an honest interview with the Warrington Guardian, Dwyer insists he knows those opinions are out there but that proving them wrong is not his primary concern.

“People can have opinions on these things but they don’t really know the situation,” he said.

“When you’ve got someone like Daryl Clark leaving the club, it’s going to be hard to replace him.

“You’re going to have negative comments either way on that and I understand that, but I’m a different player to the one that left six years ago.

“I understand why people would judge bringing someone back from so long ago, but I’m not the same player.

“I’ve always got motivation to do well and to perform but when you’ve played this game for long enough, you get to learn that you’ll never please everyone.

“I’m just excited to get out there and prove myself to the boys and to (head coach) Sam Burgess.

“It’s a short career and I want to make the most of it. If along the way, a few more people realise I can play rugby, then that’s good as well.”

Moving back to Warrington Wolves and his native north west is a full-circle moment for Dwyer, who has continued to carve out a top-level career on the other side of the Pennines with Leeds Rhinos and Hull FC.

Warrington Guardian: Dwyer was part of the Leeds side that won the Challenge Cup in 2020

Dwyer was part of the Leeds side that won the Challenge Cup in 2020 (Image: SWPix.com)

To many, he remains the diminutive livewire who can cause 20 minutes of havoc from the interchange bench, with short-range tries sneaking from behind the ruck having become a particular forte.

He may end up playing that role again now he is back in a Wire shirt if and when he gets to add to the 88 appearances he made between 2012 and 2017, but it is a tag he is keen to shake off.

“It’s interesting looking back because when I came through at Warrington, I thought I had timed it quite well,” he said.

“We had Michael Monaghan and Mickey Higham coming towards the back end of their careers, I was doing well in the academy and reserves and getting 10 first-team games a season and feeling really comfortable.

“Obviously with Warrington being the club they are, they can go and get who they want in so when Daz came in, it limited my game time.

“No matter what position you’re in, it’s important you get the exposure of playing Super League early on.

“You need that experience to get comfortable, and I felt I got pushed into the box of being an impact hooker.

“I did really well at it, which didn’t help as well because the better I did, the more I got labelled as that when I hadn’t really had the exposure to the big minutes to develop that side of my game.

Warrington Guardian: Dwyer's first-team debut for The Wire came during the 2012 seasonDwyer’s first-team debut for The Wire came during the 2012 season (Image: Mike Boden)

“When I went to Leeds, I found that.

“I think in three of my years there, I averaged around 60 minutes per game over the season, so it gave me that exposure to develop my game.

“I don’t think I quite achieved that at Hull and I found it difficult there for various reasons, but I’m looking forward to getting back to Warrington now.

“We’ve got another good hooker in Danny, so I’ll get competitive with him. We’ll push each other and get the best out of each other.”

Dwyer left the club as a 24-year-old, coming to the end of being classed as a young prospect and ready to establish himself as a senior professional.

He now admits the time was right for a change as he joined a large raft of players to either depart or see their roles scaled back at the end of the Tony Smith era.

But did he envisage himself pulling on the primrose and blue again?

“You can never think that far ahead in rugby,” he said.

“I’ve only got good things to say about Warrington for giving me a crack at playing the game full-time.

“Being a Wigan lad coming through at that time, it was always Warrington vs Wigan in big games so I ended up coming to dislike Wigan as Warrington was my club.

“I was embedded in the club so it was difficult to leave, but I went to a great club in Leeds and I didn’t really look back, if I’m honest.

“My time at Warrington stood me in good stead, but I knew I was ready for a change and it was great for me both in my career and away from the field.

“Coming back was never in the back of my mind, but I always had good memories of Warrington so when the opportunity came again, it was something I wanted to take on.

“I was over in Hull and I was pretty hell-bent on giving that a good crack. There was a good opportunity there for me being back with Tony, which I really enjoyed.

“However, the opportunity to come back home and be around family and friends after being away for six years was a big thing for me.

“Warrington’s a great club and I know a lot of the people involved with running it, so once I’d got my head around the fact they’d approached me, it ended up being a pretty simple decision.”

Now, however, he faces the tricky situation of agreeing to sign under one head coach but playing under another.

His return may have been pulled together on the say-so of then head coach Daryl Powell, but Dwyer will report for pre-season with Sam Burgess now in charge.

However, he insists his motivation remains unchanged.

“Obviously, it’s a little different when you sign under one coach and a new one comes in – you don’t know whether he would have wanted you there or not,” he said when asked what his thoughts were upon hearing Burgess was taking over.

“I had my mind on the rest of the season at Hull, which was a difficult year but I wanted to finish it as strongly as I could.

“It’s the same as every year – no matter who’s in charge, it’s a fresh start and I’ll be heading in there in November trying to impress.

“In terms of it being Sam Burgess, obviously it’s really exciting.

“There’s not many bigger names or people more respected in the sport than Sam, so I’m excited to see what he can bring to my game.

“I want to try and impress him because that’s what we all want to do as rugby league players – we want to perform. It will be interesting to see how it goes.”