Wigan Warriors surprised everyone when they left Cade Cust out of their squad when they named Ethan Havard instead of him.
The prop has been injured since July in the shock defeat against Wakefield Trinity.
He suffered a hamstring injury and it looked like he would miss the rest of the season but he has been named in the 21 man squad.
Coach Matty Peet said of the decision to name him in the squad: “Yeah he’s fit.
“I think there’s always some risk attacks when a player returns from injury, but there’s no way we would be putting him in there if he hadn’t gone through all the relevant checks.
“He’s trained fully this week, high speed, he’s done all the physios are well versed at bringing lads back from injuries, so he’s here to go.”
Addressing how good Havard could go on to be with the likes of Liam Thompson to learn from, Peet said:
“Long term? Yeah. It’s a funny question, he’s played international rugby now, he’s got the physicality, he’s got the attitude, he’s got a level of head on his shoulders.
“It’s difficult to put a ceiling on it, but he’s got a lot to like and he’s already played at a decent level for it for 22. He played earlier on in the year in the Test matches, he’s had some good performances.
“What he’s looking to do in the coming season is have outstanding seasons. That’s how you become a real top player. If you knew him as a kid, like we do, you’d feel like the level’s pretty high that he can get to.”
He seemingly confirmed that Havard would be taking the spot of someone else when he said: “That conversation has been had.”
Asked, ‘How did it go?’ Peet said: “Fine, yeah. It’s like most weeks, as long as you’re honest, that’s the job.”
