Fresh off the back of their terrific win at St Helens last week, Warrington are back in action against basement boys Leigh Centurions on Thursday night.
There's plenty of squad news for this week, with five Wire players selected for England duty on Friday - Stefan Ratchford, Mike Cooper, Daryl Clark, Ben Currie and Joe Philbin. Toby King was also selected but has since pulled out of the squad due to a knee injury, which will keep him out of the Leigh game. Wire then, are six men down, and there is no return this week for Matty Ashton, Greg Inglis or Jason Clark, all of whom remain sidelined. Ellis Robson and Riley Dean, both of whom appeared for Warrington in 2019 and 2020, have returned from their loans at Bradford and York respectively, bolstering numbers slightly, while youngsters Eribe Doro, Morgan Burgess, Jacob Gannon, Ellis Longstaff and Tom Whitehead are all selected in the 21-man-squad - Burgess, Gannon and Whitehead all in line for their debuts. Josh Thewlis and Connor Wrench are likely to be recalled to the starting team as well after being included in the 21. So, here is my 17...
Full Back - 23 Josh Thewlis
Thewlis’ appearances this season have been on the wing but his preferred position is full-back and I expect him to play there tomorrow. Always looks composed and reliable.
Winger - 2 Tom Lineham
One of the senior men in the team tomorrow, having both first-choice wingers available to us is a major boost for this one.
Centre - 27 Connor Wrench
Wrench hasn’t played since a tough day in the opening game of the season against Castleford but I expect to see him recalled at centre for this one.
Centre - 18 Jake Mamo
Mamo is enjoying a very strong run of form and while there is some discussion about him moving to full-back, I think he will probably stay at centre.
Winger - 5 Josh Charnley
Charnley has started to pick up a bit of form in recent weeks and will be needed in this one, particularly for his yardage carries.
Stand-Off - 6 Blake Austin
I thought Austin may have been picked for the All Stars, especially with Riley Dean being recalled from loan, but having him available for this one means the two halves will continue together.
Scrum-Half - 7 Gareth Widdop
Wire’s best player this season somehow wasn’t called up for England, but this is the club’s gain, as his experience and ability to guide the team around the field will be key. Could play at full-back, but I expect to see him at 7.
Prop - 8 Chris Hill
Another one who was perhaps unlucky not to be picked for England, Hill’s metre-making will be more important than ever as a young Wire pack try to get on top in the forwards battle.
Hooker - 16 Danny Walker
Walker has started a few games at 9 this season and has deputised for Daryl Clark from the bench in others. He’ll have a big job replacing Clark here but his pace and energy is a big positive.
Prop - 19 Robbie Mulhern
One of the surprises of 2021 so far has been the impact that new signing Robbie Mulhern has made. The bench has undoubtedly improved with him on it and he’s now in line for his second start of the season.
Second Row - 22 Ellis Robson
Returning from his loan spell at Bradford, Robson had a few games for Wire last season and looked promising. Let’s see how he gets on here.
Second Row - 12 Jack Hughes
Hughes wasn’t selected for England so is another of the regulars who will feature in this match, in his role in the back row.
Loose Forward - 15 Matt Davis
I expect Matt Davis to start this game at 13, although there is a chance he could be used as an interchange hooker. However, most of his games this season have come at loose forward.
Interchange - 21 Rob Butler
A chance for new signing Butler in what will be his third appearance to hopefully bring some bite from the bench.
Interchange - 20 Sitaleki Akauola
Has done well in recent weeks and will need to play a bigger role here with younger players surrounding him on the bench.
Interchange - 29 Jacob Gannon
Has been going really well in the academy, apparently, so may be in line for his debut here.
Interchange - 25 Eribe Doro
Looked very promising when he played a few times last season and I’d like to see him on the bench for this one.
@ALooseWire
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