Warrington Wolves will welcome Leeds Rhinos to the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Thursday night with the victors set to end round 15 atop Super League. Amid all the star power on show, we’ve picked out what we think is the best combined XIII of players from each club.
It’s currently Leeds who sit first in Super League by merit of their superior points difference, however, Sam Burgess’ side do have a game in hand with Wire missing out in round two when Hull KR contested the World Club Challenge.
It means Warrington have lost just twice in the league so far with one of the Wolves’ two defeats coming against Leeds Rhinos at Headingley, all the way back in March.
Young half Ewan Irwin struggled with the wind that day on what was just his fifth Super League appearance but the 18-year-old has featured more since then and has grown in leaps and bounds.
As for Leeds Rhinos, they last lost to Wigan Warriors in mid-May but they’ll welcome back star full-back Lachie Miller from suspension for Thursday night’s game in a major boost.
We’ve now picked our combined XIII from the two Super League front-runners ahead of Thursday night’s big clash.
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Warrington Wolves and Leeds Rhinos combined XIII
Full-back: Lachie Miller (Leeds Rhinos)
Back from suspension for this game and whilst Fergus McCormack has been a brilliant deputy, there are few full-backs in Super League better than Lachie Miller, the man who led the Man of Steel rankings after round nine.
Wingers: Josh Thewlis (Warrington Wolves) and Maika Sivo (Leeds Rhinos)
Maika Sivo is an inevitability here given the fact he has now scored an incredible 22 tries already in Super League but the man next to him is more of a debate. Josh Thewlis has been superb in recent weeks but many of those performances have come at full-back, however, he’s a natural winger and is the standout player in this position.
Centres: Josh Smith (Warrington Wolves) and Ash Handley (Leeds Rhinos)
In Josh Smith, Warrington have unearthed a gem with the Australian arriving from the lower grades down under and tearing it up in his first season. Next to him is seasoned vet Ash Handley who is staking a claim to play for England at the World Cup given how good his form is.
Halves: Brodie Croft (Leeds Rhinos) and Jake Connor (Leeds Rhinos)
Ewan Irwin might be a massive talent but the pairing of Croft and Connor is certainly a top three halves pairing in Super League, with several likely to argue that is the best.
Props: Mikolaj Oledzki (Leeds Rhinos) and Keenan Palasia (Leeds Rhinos)
Brad Arthur moves his pack around weekly so Palasia has played at loose forward on occasion but he and Oledzki are props, with both men hitting hot form. Cooper Jenkins has been brilliant off the bench as well whilst James Harrison may have had a shout here if not for his injury issues.
Hooker: Danny Walker (Warrington Wolves)
Walker’s distribution is wonderful and he’s a major running threat from dummy half with the quicker rucks certainly benefiting him and Warrington.
Second-row: James McDonnell (Leeds Rhinos) and Chris Hankinson (Leeds Rhinos)
Veteran Kallum Watkins misses out here for the NRL-bound James McDonnell and the utility standout Chris Hankinson, who has punched well above his weight in the pack this year.
Loose forward: Ben Currie (Warrington Wolves)
Able to play in the second-row or at loose forward, Ben Currie seems to be improving with age like a fine wine so it’s no surprise to see him claim a spot in this combined XIII.
Warrington Wolves
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