Micheal Monaghan has had the cartalige cleaned out on both knees and is set to miss the next couple of games. Apparently he was due to have one done but hurt the other v HKR, so it's a bit a of a blow.
Tony Smith was quoted " He's got bandages on both now. He was hoping that he'd only miss one game when he went in, but now he's had both knees done I'd say it's going to have be something miraculous for him not to have to miss a couple."

Mickey Higham should get a start after missing Warrington's last three wins with an elbow injury, but is now fit.

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Link : m.guardian.co.uk/ms/p/gnm/op/s4X ... ugbyleague

Just concentrate on getting him back for the Wigan/Saints games.

Who are our other hookers?

It would seem Myler is doing a stint there, if Monas is out i would also imagine it's Myler and Higham, as much as people would like someone from the 20's promoted i can't see it unless there are more injuries.

we will be fine , its a squad game and trust in tony

A chance for Gareth O'Brien to get a game or two?

Will Grix be fit for the weekend? Hasn't he done stints there in the past?

Assuming he's fit, Higham has to replace Monas. If he doesn't, you've literally thrown some cap down the drain as if you won't use him he literally serves no purpose given his superior is injured, the deputy has to stand up.

If we're wanting to go with 2 hookers, ie, Smith thinks Monas is generally upto playing the eighty with maybe at worst a baby stint from Myler but Higham isn't capable of the same, then I'd go with Dwyer on the bench and let them both play distinctive segments, let Higham do the donkeywork and hopefully Dwyer run their s off behind the ruck.

To start moving Grix, Bridge or whoever seems daft to me. They can do small stints within a game, fine. But surely not to occupy that slot.

higham was given a lengthy contract from paul cullen i believe we have just been stuck with him for the duration of this , im sure it ends at the end of this season and cant see him getting an extenstion .

No, that's not right.

He signed a contract extension under Smith in 2010, an extension taking him through until the end of 2012.

He also was part of the first choice 17 for 2012 obviously as he started at Hull. He's not my cup of tea, but to start talking about shifting backs, loose forwards etc when you (if he's fit) have a specialist hooker available, is madness.

thanks for putting me right on that , and i 100% agree with you regarding swapping half backs around higham can actually do a job the trouble is we have been spoilt watching the quality of monas

You're right on that, he (Monas) has made that gulf more visable.

It's not a bad game for Higham to play there, I think in recent year he's performed pretty well there, was it a couple of years back he bagged in brace in a narrow win.

It's a game where I think as long as he keeps it simple, tight to the ruck, the forwards will make decent yardage, once you get field position Briers, Myler & Hodgson can do the rest.

Very true.

Higham is not a bad player, and I expect him to do a job for us on Sat. He will of course get loads of stick no matter what he does.

Was doing some training with Mickey Higham last year, he's a top bloke and very committed to Warrington. He is full of passion and has been training hard.

No-one doubts Higham's commitment to Warrington. Seems to be a top professional and conducts himself well. But like Mathers, there's a lot of people who doubt his ability - especially when compared to Monas where the gulf in class is so big.

Higham may be a specialist hooker, but the amount of people who argue a hooker is a 3rd half back nowadays, what is the problem putting Ratch there to start for example? I genuinely think he'd do a better job than Higham anyway.

You dont want Ratchford becoming a jack of all trades and master of none.

I think Tony has earmarked the full back position for Ratchford when Hodgson leaves at the end of this year.

Higham is a decent enough hooker, nowhere near as good as Monas admittedly, but still good enough to slot in for a couple of weeks here and there.

The problem here is that we have all been spolit by seeing the genuinely world class skills of Michael Monaghan. For me he is the best hooker in SL if not the world (yes even better than Roby at saints) and anything less is a serious disappointment.

God knows what happens when he retires or goes back to Oz.

Well if you want to sign Ellis and Minichello you may as well sign Buderus. He would fit the Wire age profile perfectly.

But seriously you need to give Brad Dwyer a chance, he looks a very, very good player. And he is a Wiganer.

But is he "world class" like McIllorum?

Filling in for Paul and, also, I am very interested;

What did Bridge do to deserve being sent off against Hudds, seriously?

I hope TS starts with Grix at hooker and interchanges him with Higham.