It has been a fortnight to forget for Wigan – but Shaun Wane insists he’s looking forward to see how his young forwards perform under the spotlight of the TV cameras tonight.
The Warriors head across the Pennines to Wakefield without frontline forwards Taulima Tautai, Ben Flower and Ryan Sutton due to injury – plus the suspended Joel Tomkins, who begins a four-week absence on the sidelines tonight.
That means opportunities being handed to the likes of Romain Navarrete, Gabe Hamlin and Callum Field get their chance to shine – and Wane insists he’s excited, not nervous, about throwing them in.
“I’ve lost four of my most consistent middles but it’s a great chance for Romain, Gabe and Cal Field,” he said. “We’ll have 17 players really committed on Thursday.
“I’d rather not have injuries but it does excite me when I see people like Cal Field coming in.
“Olly Partington is in the 19, which is great. I enjoy days like this, I genuinely get excited by it, the pressure and seeing how these young lads respond.”
Wane also insists while he has expected more from an inconsistent Trinity so far this season, recent history shows they are not to be underestimated on their own track.
He said: “They performed better last year but they’re still coming up with some good performances – Chris (Chester) is doing a good job there.
“I am surprised they haven’t kicked on this year because they’ve a lot of seasoned pros in there but they have still been playing well. When they play at home, as we know, they’re a handful for everyone.”
