With the Dewsbury game the week after I think that Williams will return in that one. Farrell usually slots in no problem. Joel only missed one, so I'd go -

Sarge
Josh, Gelling, Gildart, Tierney
Lockers, Matty
Mossop, Powell, Clubb
Faz, Joel, John B

Gregson on the bench (he's earned it), Flower, Tautai, Crosby.

I'd leave Isa out for now.

Mossop and Clubb have been our best two props. Flower has developed a worrying habit of making a lot of yards sideways!

Mossop has been brilliant the last 2/3 games. A sure starter with Flower now. Agree about Flower going sideways though but more often than not he picks out the right player to run at.

Mossop is finally driving his legs in contact. It's the first time I've seen him bother for a long while and he's getting his rewards. I'd like to think it's because he's getting confidence in his shoulders again. It can't be easy mentally trying to force your way through the line with opposition defenders hanging off you when you've got a lack of confidence in part of your body.

Evening post reckons just Williams back for Wire now.

It's like trying to crack the Di Vinci code working out our injury status with all the mixed messages.

That's weird, cos it seemed to me they'd kinda implied before that Williams was the most dubious of the possible returnees.

So still without 4 (maybe 5) of our starting 13, but nearly there!

Good to hear Sam Tomkins will likely feature against Hull in a couple of weeks too.

It is isn't it!

They also implied Joel Tomkins and Crosby had been more rested then actually missing out due to serious injuries and as ever Lockers injury seems to drag its feet for an extra week at a time until he's suddenly been missing for 2 months.

It's all a bit frustrating but at least it seems the end is closer.

Yes you are right only Williams back.

squad : John Bateman, Greg Burke, Josh Charnley, Tony Clubb, Ben Flower, Oliver Gildart, Anthony Gelling, Nick Gregson, Jack Higginson, Willie Isa, Lee Mossop, Sam Powell, Dan Sarginson, Matty Smith, Ryan Sutton, Taulima Tautai, Lewis Tierney, Jack Wells & George Williams.

based on that:
Sarge
Charnley, Gelling, Gildart, Tierney
Williams, Smith
Mossop, Powell, Flower
Isa, Sutton, Bateman
Clubb, Tautai, Burke, Gregson
rest : Higginson, Wells

I'd rather play Wells than Burke, but I think Wane will go for experience

The 17 picks itself pretty much if they're all fit (Clubb and Tautai went off last week so it's tough to say).

It's another game against Wire I think we're unlikely to be able to win given the absentees but I think we'll make a much better fist of it then the game at the DW. It seems weird that the two fixtures have been planned so closely together.

Agree re:Wells - thought he ran well last week. Burke hasn't impressed me at all yet, doesn't run or tackle his weight so give Wells another chance off the bench!

I'd be tempted to start Gregson at 6 with Williams on the bench and switch things round later on. Big ask to throw Williams in for 80 mins after 8 weeks off.

That's a good call given the length of time he has been out. Williams could come on after 25 - 30 mins with greys on then rotating Powell.

My only concern with that would be Gregson defending in the middle. He was shocking in defence last week.

I understand your thinking but you have to realise that the regular season is already over halfway through and both teams have so far played each other once and could expect to play each other at least another 2 or 3 times after Thursday evenings second encounter.
Last season Wire played Hull home and away within a week, work that one out!

It's hard to work out.

It's a real shame that both these games haven't been planned well at all. To have the first one just after Easter and the second a few weeks later in a Thursday has taken plenty away from what should have been two belters in front of huge crowds.

As you say there could be another couple of fixtures yet so hopefully they'll be planned better.

Agreed
Consideration ought to be applied to this fixture.
I'm fully awhere of the echoes that Sts v Wigan is the biggest derby, well I would argue that except for the recent dip in Wire form over the last 2 seasons the W v W fixture has been the more meaningful derby in recent times, as it is once again tomorrow.

I hate Thursday games with a passion but IF they have to be played they should only be reserved for teams that have not too much distance bewteen them, otherwise you are looking at very poor attendances, something our sport can't afford before someone tells me football do it with no problem.

I think you got them mixed up just looked at last weeks stats for that game:

Burke - 82 Metres - Average Gain - 7.45
Wells - 32 Metres - Average Gain - 4.57

Burke performed as our 3rd best prop in that game on metres and average gain.

Top of the props for me last week was Lee Mossop by a mile he really impressed me and is starting to look like the Lee Mossop that left for OZ.

Fair enough. Quite surprised at those stats to be honest. Still maintain what I said about Burke though. And agree on Mossop!

regardless of the stats, i just thought that wells looked a good prospect (certainly once he fills out), and on that basis, with his time on the field likely to be minimal, it would be good to see more of him than burke, who offers little other than a solid, if unspectacular 15 min stint.
on the williams question; to me defence is key. i would rather start him, as gregson was badly exposed last week. i would prefer him to come on at 9 or 12 rather than 6, where he may be more comfortable (and hes always an option for 6 if george pulls up).

Great impact from Burke off the bench! Not.

How do we let that ugly old thug score with 4 men on him? Shocking.

Line speed is very poor when we don't have one of O'Loughlin, Clubb or McIlorum on the field.

Tautai 16-4 Wigan