Warrington Wolves are in a perilous position on the edge of the playoffs in sixth position, just two points ahead of Salford Red Devils, and with a trip to top of the table Catalans Dragons on Friday they are desperate for a win.
It will be teams first game since the sacking of Daryl Powell and they will need to snap a six game losing streak in order to get back in the win column but face the sturdy test of the Dragons.
One man who is set to feature for them is their new signing, or re-signing, of Thomas Mikaele who has joined the team until the end of the season.
He is one of the standout names in the 21-man squad although there is no spot for winger Matty Ashton who misses out with a knock.
Interim Head Coach Gary Chambers said of Ashton: “Yeah, he’s 50-50, 60-40 really against, I think if we were desperate we could have played him.
“We’ve got to look a bit long term here as well. Connor Wrench is back and he’s got a game under his belt. It’s about making sure Matty gets this break, it’s maximising this break with the Challenge Cup coming up.
“Connor will come in there and Matty, he needs that two weeks. He’s got a really sore shoulder and he’s got a bit of a foot injury as well. We could roll him out again but there’s no telling how long that damage would be, or how long it would go on for if we did it so it’s not worth it .”
Chambers was also asked about the return of Mikaele and he explained that the club have flown him back first class, much to the dismay of the team’s Australians who seemingly weren’t afforded that luxury,
“He’s been averaging 50 minutes. I’ve texted him, he said he’s feeling good. But we’ve put him on first class. The other Aussie lads aren’t too happy about that because they’re all moaning about it, but he’s coming back first class so he should be rested.
“He’s landing in 10 minutes and obviously he’s got to get through customs and that. In a couple of hours I’ll have seen him, know what he’s like, see how he’s feeling, get him settled in and then we’ll make a decision there.
“If he’s good we’ll give him a go. It all depends on how he rocks in there, I don’t know, it all depends on how he comes in.”
It was also discussed by Chambers about why Riley Dean had been recalled, only to not be named in the matchday squad to face Catalans.
Chambers explained: “I just want him back to be around the group, get some numbers back. I don’t know how it’s going to be moving forward, so we need some bodies around and all the reserve lads stepping up and putting pressure on. We just need to build up that pressure on each other and challenge each other in the camp.
“I’ve told him if he trains well and he goes well in the reserves then he’s put himself in a position to play, it’s about getting all the bodies back into camp and putting pressure on each other and challenging each other and then the ones who go the best will get a shot.”