Warrington Wolves travel to Emerald Headingley Stadium on Friday night hoping to continue an impressive run of form which has seen them win their last 8 games in all competitions. Here’s all the build-up to the big game of the weekend.
SQUAD NEWS
LEEDS RHINOS
Brett Delaney has been ruled out due to a shoulder injury suffered at Hull KR last Sunday, so fit again Nathaniel Peteru takes his place in the squad and could make his first appearance in over 3 months after recovering from a torn bicep.
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In two other changes, hooker Brad Dwyer and fullback Jack Walker are both in contention to return weeks ahead of schedule following elbow and ankle issues respectively but will have to pass late fitness tests.
Young forwards Mikolaj Oledzki and Cameron Smith make way, while Liam Sutcliffe (foot) and Mitch Garbutt (knee) remain out.
Leeds will be hoping to build on their win over KR as they look to find consistency having lost three and drawn one of their last eight games.
Leeds Rhinos 19-man squad: Ashton Golding, Tom Briscoe, Kallum Watkins, Ryan Hall, Joel Moon, Richie Myler, Adam Cuthbertson, Matt Parcell, Brad Singleton, Jamie Jones-Buchanan. Carl Ablett, Stevie Ward, Brad Dwyer, Anthony Mullally, Brett Ferres, Nathaniel Peteru, Ash Handley, Jack Walker, Josh Walters.
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WARRINGTON WOLVES
Just one change has been made to last week’s squad, with Mitch Brown taking the place of former Leeds academy player Morgan Smith.
Meanwhile, second-rower Ben Currie has been ruled out for the rest of the campaign due to surgery needed on an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury.
Ben Pomeroy, who re-joined the club on Wednesday, is not included in the 19.
Should results go in their favour, Warrington could go level on points with Wigan in 2nd, which would mark a fine turnaround following a slow start to the year. The Warriors take on Salford at the DW.
Warrington Wolves 19-man squad: Stefan Ratchford, Tom Lineham, Bryson Goodwin, Ryan Atkins, Kevin Brown, Tyrone Roberts, Chris Hill, Daryl Clark, Mike Cooper, Jack Hughes, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Declan Patton, Sitaleki Akauola, Joe Philbin, George King, Harvey Livett, Mitch Brown, Josh Charnley, Ben Westwood.
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HEAD TO HEAD
The last meeting between the two sides was on the opening night of the season, a game Leeds won 16-12 as they won at the Halliwell Jones for the first time since 2011.
Despite that, the Wolves still have a better record against the Rhinos in the last 10 Super League meetings, coming out on top in 6 of those encounters. Their last victory in this fixture came in April 2017, a 25-14 win that kick-started their season, while they also did the double over Leeds in 2016.
However, when it comes to games played at Headingley it’s Leeds who have dominated. The Champions have won 7 of the last 10 matches against Warrington on their own turf, with the most recent of those successes coming in a convincing 40-0 success last season
KEY BATTLE- Ryan Hall v Josh Charnley
Ryan Hall’s two-try performance at Warrington in round 1 played a big part in his side getting their season off to a promising start and the Rhinos will need him to have another stand-out display on Friday if they are to beat the Wolves again.
That’s because opposite to him will be Josh Charnley, a man who has been in red-hot form since joining up with Steve Price’s side in March.
The winger scored a hat-trick in Warrington’s clash with Huddersfield last week to take his tally to 6 tries in 5 Super League games for his new club, while he also scored 4 in the Challenge Cup against Bradford Bulls.
His presence on Wire’s right-edge has made them a much more threatening attacking force, so Hall will have to stay alert throughout the 80 minutes if he is to get the better of his opposite number.
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THE IMPORTANT DETAILS
Date: Friday 4th May
Venue: Emerald Headingley Stadium
Kick-off: 7:45pm
Referee: Ben Thaler
WHO WILL WIN?
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