John Bateman debut set as Warrington Wolves boosted by returning trio for Hull KR clash
From left to right: Joe Philbin, John Bateman and Lachlan Fitzgibbon of Warrington Wolves
New signing John Bateman will make his debut for Warrington Wolves in Friday’s clash with Hull Kingston Rovers, head coach Sam Burgess has confirmed.
Great Britain and England international Bateman arrived in England over the weekend after signing with Warrington on a deal until the end of the campaign from NRL side Wests Tigers.
“I don’t know where he’s going to play – it’s a hard question because everyone is playing so well,” he said.
“He is going to play – I’ve not brought him over to watch. He’ll be in the 17 but we’re just trying to figure out where that will be.
“He’s fitted in really well. He knows a lot of the players anyway so it’s pretty easy in that regard.
“It’s just about him getting up to speed with our systems and terminology but he trained well today.”
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Meanwhile, Burgess confirmed that Joe Philbin (groin), Toby King (hamstring) and Lachlan Fitzgibbon (shoulder) are in contention to return to action this week.
“We get a few back – a plethora of them. Philbin’s back in with a shout, as are Toby King and Lachie Fitz,” Burgess said.
“They’ll come straight into the 21, which is healthy. Jimmy’s (Harrison) still out suspended but we’re getting close enough to having most of them back.
“We’ve still got people like Leon Hayes, Connor Wrench and Luke Thomas out for the year and Stef (Ratchford) still out for a bit, but we get three or four back. There’s tough decisions to make.”
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