Adrian Lam names the Wigan Warriors 21-man squad to face Catalans Dragons.
One change as Tommy Leuluai returns in the place of the injured Bevan French.
Catalans Dragons v Wigan Warriors, Saturday 29th May, Stade Gilbert Brutus, 5pm K.O. (UK).
Warriors head coach Adrian Lam has named the 21-man squad to face Catalans Dragons this Saturday in Round 8 of the Betfred Super League.
The Cherry and Whites will make the journey to Perpignan to face the French side on Saturday with kick-off at 6pm local time (5pm UK).

Lam’s men will head into the fixture unbeaten in the competition, with seven wins from seven. The opposition have also made an impressive start to the season, winning six of their opening seven games, including victory over St Helens las weekend at Stade Gilbert Brutus.

Team news
Tommy Leuluai returns to the 21 after overcoming a sternum injury which has kept the half back out of action since Wigan’s win over Leeds on 15th April. The Club captain replaces injured full back Bevan French in the 21.


Leuluai in training earlier this week.
Speaking earlier this week, Lam gave an update on the condition of French, after the full back suffered a hamstring injury last weekend against Salford.

“We are not totally clear just yet. He is awaiting results on a scan and is seeing a surgeon. It doesn’t look good and he won’t be playing this week certainly.”

After being handed a Grade F charge (Unacceptable language based on national or ethnic origin), prop forward Tony Clubb will serve the fourth of an eight match ban. Full statement HERE.

Injury news
Oliver Gildart misses out as he continues to overcome a groin injury which has kept the centre out of action in 2021.

Liam Marshall is still unavailable as he recovers from a knee injury (ACL) sustained last September against Castleford Tigers.

Half back Jai Field continues his recovery from a torn hamstring sustained during Wigan’s season opener against Leigh Centurions in March.

21-man squad to face Catalans Dragons

2. Dom Manfredi
3. Zak Hardaker
7. Tommy Leuluai
8. Brad Singleton
9. Sam Powell
10. Joe Bullock
11. Willie Isa
12. Liam Farrell
13. John Bateman
14. Oliver Partington
15. Morgan Smithies
19. Liam Byrne
20. Harry Smith
21. Ethan Havard
22. Jake Bibby
23. Mitch Clark
25. Joe Shorrocks
27. Kai Pearce-Paul
28. Sam Halsall
30. Umyla Hanley
31. Jackson Hastings

Tough game this. Only saving Grace is Catalan should give away as much penalties as we do with Maloney constant high tackles

Looking very skinny in the outside backs dept, give Halsall and Hanley a run on the left edge with Bibby and Manfredi on the right, at least there's a bit of pace there, at the very least I hope Lam has learned Shorrocks isn't and never will be a three-quarter

for me, they would get torn apart. one of them with Farrell would probably be ok

Please no. We would get slaughtered defensively

I'd go:

FB 3. Hardaker
RW 2. Manfredi
RC 12. Farrell
LC 11. Isa
LW 22. Bibby
SO 20. Smith
SH 31. Hastings
P 8. Singleton
H 9. Powell
P 10. Bullock
SR 15. Smithies
SR 13. Bateman
LF 14. Partington

S 7. Leuluai
S 19. Byrne
S 21. Havard
S 23. Clark

It's a 17 set up to do a boring job and grind out a win to be honest. If we were playing against a lesser side then I would be more inclined to give Halsall and Pearce-Paul a run in the two centre spots and try to play a bit more attractive rugby, but this one calls for all the defensive skill and hard yards we can muster IMO. The positive of them having a big pack is that they will tire out towards the end. We need to still be in the game by that point though by making it a constant arm wrestle.

Comfortable catalan win i think, hope I'm wrong but just can't see us winning

I agree with Grimmy more or less in his 17 is mine too but I's swap Farrell to left centre and Isa to right centre.
Rest agree with!

Isa is extremely doubtful, to the point where Lam made it clear he’s probably not playing in his interview on Wigan TV. It sounded more likely that Leuluai and Smithies will come back in.

I’d go-

Hardaker
Manfredi Bibby Farrell Hanley
Hastings Leuluai
Singleton Powell Havard
Bateman Smithies Partington

Subs
Byrne Bullock Clark Smith

I'd play Bateman at centre and leave Bibby on the left.

I’d consider it but I wouldn’t want to take too many out the pack. That is their strength at the minute. They’ve lost Yaha for this game and will have a couple of youngsters of their own in the outside back positions of Langi and Tomkins don’t make it, so I wouldn’t worry too much about Hanley.

Maybe its not for this Saturday but giving Hankey a crack at fb might be a shout. Its his position and atbsome point we need have a look at him. We might balance better with hardaker at centre at the minute?

I personally think we’ll get snotted this week. Watching Warrington last night v Salford and they didn’t have a complex game plan, it was fairly simple and they absolutely trounced Salford. I’m not saying Warrington are the paragons of SL but they played a simple plan and played it well, running out emphatic winners like we should have done.

I hold absolutely no hope this week.

Warrington highlighted just how poor we were last week. I know them battering Salford and us grabbing a fortunate win isn’t an absolute science of where we’re at but the nature of our try’s highlighted our struggles. Two barge overs from Singleton and a stunning try from Faz from a fortunate pick up. There’s hardly any ball movement and when we try we look so unorganised and start making errors.

What's the saying couldn't organise a p*ss up in a brewery, well that's Lam's coaching for you and its exactly how we look out on the pitch

I'd take an ugly win away to Catalans this weekend to be honest. Will have to play our best rugby of the season so far to compete I reckon.

Halsall has looked better than Hanley in his limited opportunities. I'd look at giving him gametime as a priority rather than Hanley, which of course has the added benefit of not moving Hardaker away from his best position. Even now Hanley is 16th in the league for errors despite not even playing in half of the games.

I would also be ok with Halsall getting a run in his position at centre with Zak fb. Just think we need see where we are at with um? When Gildart came in it was apparent to me very quickly he was the real deal and basically he has held a spot down since. Not saying Halsall is going to be as successful but we need see if he is going to be good enough.

Yeah I felt like we missed a bit of an opportunity to do that in the Leigh and Salford games to be honest.

I’d take an ugly win for sure but I’m afraid it’s likely to be an ugly loss

We don’t win anything but Ugly but I doubt it’ll be that good sadly.

Hanlley Leuluai and Smithies back in and starting, Farrell back to centre

Quite fancy our chances but we'll need our best performance of the season. By a mile.

That niggly petulance from Smithies I’ve not missed.

Smithies is an absolute liability