Warrington Wolves trio doubtful for Wakefield clash
Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2025 1:23 pm
SAM Burgess admits he may be forced into making several changes to his Warrington Wolves side that faces Wakefield Trinity on Sunday.
Indeed, his left-edge may look completely different to the one that turned out in Las Vegas with a trio of players rated as major doubts for the return home.
Second-rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon was already an injury doubt having succumbed to a rib injury during the second half, but Burgess has revealed winger Matty Ashton and centre Toby King also picked up knocks during the 48-24 loss to Wigan Warriors at Allegiant Stadium.
Ashton has a foot injury while King has a groin complaint, with both seemingly unlikely to play at the weekend according to the Wire head coach.
That would mean a return to the side for Papua New Guinea centre Rodrick Tai, with youngster Jake Thewlis and rugby union convert Alfie Johnson fighting it out for a spot on the wing.
We’ve got a couple of knocks from the game in Ashton and Kingy – they will struggle to make the game this week,” Burgess said in his pre-match press conference on Thursday morning.
“Lachlan is 50-50 so we’ll see – it’s not his shoulder which is a good thing. It’s more his ribs.
“Rod Tai will come back in, but we’ve got to figure out who goes on the wing. It could be young Jake Thewlis, or Alfie Johnson could make his debut.”
Tai had joined Widnes Vikings on dual-registration while his teammates were in Vegas but did not feature in their 1895 Cup victory at Hunslet on Sunday.
Johnson played in the Vikings' Championship opener at Toulouse but left the field during the first half having failed a head injury assessment while Thewlis has been on loan at London Broncos, starting their last three matches.
Having arrived back in the UK on Monday, the Warrington team returned to training on Wednesday ahead of the Round Four clash with a Wakefield side led by former Wire boss Daryl Powell, who will be making his first return to The Halliwell Jones Stadium since being sacked as Wolves head coach in July 2023.
Burgess says a schedule has been worked out that is mindful of ensuring players recover from every aspect of making the trans-Atlantic trip.
“We’ve got to try and balance it out,” he said.
“We did a tiny bit yesterday and we’ve done a little more today, but it’s more about trying to get the guys back into the right sleep patterns.
“We’ve tried to keep it pretty normal, but we understand about the travel and it was a tough game for them.”
One player who has remained in a normal routine is scrum-half Leon Hayes, who stayed behind in England to continue his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury.
While he is yet to rejoin full training, it is understood he remains on track to be available for the Round Five trip to St Helens in a fortnight.
“Leon’s doing okay – he just needs to get a bit of training done now as he’s been away from the team for three or four weeks,” Burgess said.
“He needs some time back with us but there’s no pressure with Leon. We’re not going to rush him.”
https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/sp ... eld-clash/
Indeed, his left-edge may look completely different to the one that turned out in Las Vegas with a trio of players rated as major doubts for the return home.
Second-rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon was already an injury doubt having succumbed to a rib injury during the second half, but Burgess has revealed winger Matty Ashton and centre Toby King also picked up knocks during the 48-24 loss to Wigan Warriors at Allegiant Stadium.
Ashton has a foot injury while King has a groin complaint, with both seemingly unlikely to play at the weekend according to the Wire head coach.
That would mean a return to the side for Papua New Guinea centre Rodrick Tai, with youngster Jake Thewlis and rugby union convert Alfie Johnson fighting it out for a spot on the wing.
We’ve got a couple of knocks from the game in Ashton and Kingy – they will struggle to make the game this week,” Burgess said in his pre-match press conference on Thursday morning.
“Lachlan is 50-50 so we’ll see – it’s not his shoulder which is a good thing. It’s more his ribs.
“Rod Tai will come back in, but we’ve got to figure out who goes on the wing. It could be young Jake Thewlis, or Alfie Johnson could make his debut.”
Tai had joined Widnes Vikings on dual-registration while his teammates were in Vegas but did not feature in their 1895 Cup victory at Hunslet on Sunday.
Johnson played in the Vikings' Championship opener at Toulouse but left the field during the first half having failed a head injury assessment while Thewlis has been on loan at London Broncos, starting their last three matches.
Having arrived back in the UK on Monday, the Warrington team returned to training on Wednesday ahead of the Round Four clash with a Wakefield side led by former Wire boss Daryl Powell, who will be making his first return to The Halliwell Jones Stadium since being sacked as Wolves head coach in July 2023.
Burgess says a schedule has been worked out that is mindful of ensuring players recover from every aspect of making the trans-Atlantic trip.
“We’ve got to try and balance it out,” he said.
“We did a tiny bit yesterday and we’ve done a little more today, but it’s more about trying to get the guys back into the right sleep patterns.
“We’ve tried to keep it pretty normal, but we understand about the travel and it was a tough game for them.”
One player who has remained in a normal routine is scrum-half Leon Hayes, who stayed behind in England to continue his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury.
While he is yet to rejoin full training, it is understood he remains on track to be available for the Round Five trip to St Helens in a fortnight.
“Leon’s doing okay – he just needs to get a bit of training done now as he’s been away from the team for three or four weeks,” Burgess said.
“He needs some time back with us but there’s no pressure with Leon. We’re not going to rush him.”
https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/sp ... eld-clash/