LUKE YATES is raring to go as Warrington Wolves prepare to send a strong side out against Widnes Vikings on Friday.
While the Cheshire derby at the Halliwell Jones Stadium comes only nine days before Widnes’ Championship opener away to big-spending London Broncos, Warrington will still have a further five weeks to wait for their Super League start at home to St Helens.
Nonetheless, Wolves head coach Sam Burgess will field many of his established first-team stars, including Yates, in a bid to hit the ground running ahead of a big campaign.
That approach is welcomed by Yates, who saw the Wire slide down to a highly disappointing eighth-place finish in his first full season since joining from Huddersfield Giants.
The Aussie loose-forward, who has also represented London Broncos and Salford Red Devils in Super League, said: “I’m looking forward to it.
“I think we’ll have a strong team out against Widnes so I’ll be putting my hand up to play against them for sure.
“It comes around quickly – we get paid to play rugby, not train, so I’m looking forward to playing.”
Not that training has been entirely stale, with Warrington’s squad put through their paces at a Royal Marines camp in Scotland before a Christmas break.
Yates added: “Some of the exercises were pretty solid and there was a lot of down time too, playing cards and enjoying the sun!
“We lost a bit of connection as a group last year, so we’ve had a real emphasis on that going into this season.
“We’ve been on camps away and spent a lot of time together bonding. I think we’re in a great position compared to where we’ve been previously.”
Warrington starting line-up: 1 Cai Taylor-Wray, 2 Josh Thewlis, 3 Toby King, 26 Josh Smith, 27 Jake Thewlis, 18 Ewan Irwin, 7 Marc Sneyd, 16 Liam Byrne, 9 Danny Walker, 22 Joe Philbin, 12 Sam Stone, 34 Kelepi Tanginoa, 8 Luke Yates.