Shaun Wane reveals talks with Hull FC trio Luke Gale, Josh Griffin and Jake Connor

When Shaun Wane named his 30-man England squad earlier in the week, there were a number of major absences.

For Hull FC fans, they felt mightily aggrieved that none of Luke Gale, Josh Griffin or Jake Connor were included.

However, head coach Wane was a guest on Sky Sports during Warrington Wolves’ clash with Catalans Dragons and explained his reasoning and his hopes for the future.

“I spoke to Jake (Connor), Luke (Gale) and Josh Griffin, players I really rate but they understand I have a close relationship with most of the players in the England squad,” Wane said.

“I want to see them, speak on the phone and tell them directly, but I’m never going to call a player out on what they need to improve on and the players know I am on their side.

“The players know they get so much feedback every week and I hope when it comes to the World Cup I hope I have a huge squad to pick from and that it’s a nightmare to pick from.”

Shaun Wane’s England Training Squad in full:

John Bateman (Wigan Warriors)
Daryl Clark (Warrington Wolves)
Mike Cooper (Warrington Wolves)
Ben Currie (Warrington Wolves)
Thomas Davies (Catalans Dragons)
Lewis Dodd (St Helens)
Niall Evalds (Castleford Tigers)
Liam Farrell (Wigan Warriors)
Ryan Hall (Hull KR)
Zak Hardaker (Wigan Warriors)
Morgan Knowles (St Helens)
Kruise Leeming (Leeds Rhinos)
Matthew Lees (St Helens)
Jonny Lomax (St Helens)
Reece Lyne (Wakefield Trinity)
Jermaine McGillvary (Huddersfield Giants)
Paul McShane (Castleford Tigers)
Tommy Makinson (St Helens)
Liam Marshall (Wigan Warriors)
Harry Newman (Leeds Rhinos)
Mikolaj Oledzki (Leeds Rhinos)
Kai Pearce-Paul (Wigan Warriors)
Mark Percival (St Helens)
Stefan Ratchford (Warrington Wolves)
Dan Sarginson (Salford Red Devils)
Sam Tomkins (Catalans Dragons)
Alex Walmsley (St Helens)
Jake Wardle (Huddersfield Giants)
Jack Welsby (St Helens)
George Williams (Warrington Wolves)