Warrington Wolves Suffer Major Injury Blow Ahead of Tough Fixture Schedule
In a significant setback for the Warrington Wolves, head coach Sam Burgess has confirmed that promising young center Connor Wrench will be sidelined for the remainder of the season. The 22-year-old homegrown player suffered an ACL injury in their recent 48-0 victory over the Huddersfield Giants, marking a devastating blow for both Wrench and the club.
“It’s not great for Connor – it’s as we expected and he’s done for the year,” Burgess told the media in Manchester following the announcement that Warrington will face Wigan in Las Vegas next year. “It’s tough news for Connor to take and for us as a club as we really value him. He’s got a positive mindset about it so he’ll just get on with it.”
The Wolves will also be without another center, Toby King, for up to five weeks due to a hamstring injury, further depleting their backline options. Additionally, the team will miss the services of Lachlan Fitzgibbon (shoulder), Josh Thewlis (shoulder), and key prop James Harrison, who is serving a one-match ban.
However, there is a glimmer of hope as winger Matty Ashton could be set to return from the treatment room for the upcoming clash against Leeds Rhinos on Thursday. Burgess acknowledged the adversity his side has faced, with only one player, Paul Vaughan, available on the bench for the final half-hour of their previous match.
“We were tested big time last week – we only had Paul Vaughan on the bench for the last half hour of the game,” Burgess said. “We lost our two wingers leading into the game and then our two centres during the game, so we were really stretched. I’m proud of the guys for managing that adversity.”
Despite the mounting injury concerns, Burgess remains optimistic about the team’s ability to overcome the challenges, stating, “We’ll go into this game with 17 players at least – we’re stretched in the outside backs but that’s part of the journey and we’re looking forward to that adversity.”
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