https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/04/ ... alans-r10/

https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/04/ ... alans-r10/

This is where it gets tricky to pick the side - be interesting to know if Cooper has missed out due to injury or by Peet's choice.

Great that Walters is back - I'd assume he will take Cooper's place - personally I I would start him and allow Nsemba to move to the bench where I think he'll be most effective at this stage.

Peet obviously has the option of bringing in either Liam Byrne or Harvie Hill but I'm not sure who they would come in for.

I am confident that Byrne will make the 17.

Me too - think he's one of Peet's favs. He may even choose to move Leeming out and go with three props off the bench.

The backs pretty much pick themselves for now but the make up of the forwards will be interesting. I expect Byrne and Walters will come in to the 17 from last week, so Cooper is one who is missing out and then we'd need one other. If they can get enough minutes in to Walters in the next couple of weeks and they feel he's capable of 80 minutes, I think it'll be Nsemba who misses out come the semi but for Friday, I wouldn't be surprised if it were Mago or Dupree. Either could count themselves unlucky but then neither have been rested as far as I remember. I'd say with Dupree having a week off with his ban, it would make Mago favourite and that would leave us looking something like-

Field
Miski Keighran Wardle Marshall
French Smith
Byrne O'Neill Thompson
Nsemba Farrell Ellis

Subs
Dupree Havard Walters Leeming

If everyone makes it through to the Cup semi, I think Walters will end up in the second row and Mago/Cooper will come on to the bench, with Nsemba missing out.

As Ellis missed out yet ?
Thompson to 13 for a game could give him a break, nice to have so many options.

He was rested at London. I'd move away from rests and rotation for a while now with eyes on that semi final but Walters only just coming back means he's unlikely to be able to do 80 minutes and then to me, you need him and Nsemba in the 17 for this week and you have to leave one prop out. You then make a decision based on form or just who hasn't had a rest. If it was form, then it's extremely tight and if it's a rest, it's probably Mago.

I guess a few would just say to leave Byrne out but I think we need him in our best 17 because of the aggression and defensive intent he brings. He needs to be the Byrne of the WCC and the back end of last season though and not the one we've seen for much of this season.

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/ru ... 82r2UWsxHE

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/ru ... 82r2UWsxHE

Makes sense I suppose. They can probably get him a full 80 minutes in the reserves if they wanted, whereas he'd probably be looking at 20-30 minutes maximum in the first team.

It's been confirmed Cooper failed a HIA last week, so is forced our rather than being left out.