Warrington Wolves talking points before Hull FC Round Two clash

There will no doubt be a large and expectant home crowd in place to see Warrington Wolves and Hull FC face off, with both sides looking to bounce back from Round One defeats.

Ahead of the game, our Wire reporter Matt Turner picks out and take a look at five key talking points surrounding The Wire and their latest test under Sam Burgess...

Will Burgess get the “growth” he desires

Sam Burgess has been open with his admission that he does not expect the very best of his Warrington Wolves side for some time yet.

What he will expect, however, is development and improvement in every aspect of what he saw in Round One.

“We’re trying to create something that we all value and this weekend is another chance to grow that," were his exact words.

There was plenty to be happy with despite the defeat in Perpignan – the defence, for example, was for the most part connected and structurally sound – but he will want to see growth in areas such as discipline and ruck control.

In attack, too, they will expect things to develop having shown flashes of promise against Catalans.

The home crowd will be expectant and they too will be demanding another step forward – so will Burgess’ men deliver?

Wire are looking to bounce back after losing to Catalans Dragons in Round One (Image: SWPix.com)

Will “niggles” lead to more changes?

The 21-man squad Wire revealed for the game is only two different from the one they picked to travel to Perpignan, but it seems there could be more than what meets the eye.

In his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Burgess revealed there were “niggles” within his group that would put certain players in doubt for Friday night.

His opted against being as specific as naming the affected players – so does that tell a story in itself?

Social media is already starting to rumble with rumours of an injury to England skipper George Williams, whose absence would obviously be a big blow.

Burgess and the club are clearly keen to keep their cards close to their chest, but all will be revealed before long.

Social media rumours are rumbling around George Williams' fitness for Friday's game - he has been named in Wire's 21-man squad (Image: Joe Richardson)

A golden opportunity but Wire must avoid complacency

Even in the most basic of contexts, Warrington will have looked at the next couple of weeks as something of an opportunity.

Without wishing to disrespect Hull FC and Castleford Tigers, back-to-back home matches against those sides are games teams with ambitions of challenging for honours would be expecting to win.

Wire fans will be expecting as much and that expectation has only increased with the news of Hull’s crippling list of injuries and suspensions.

It cannot be denied that this is a golden chance to get themselves moving but what they must not do is lapse into complacency.

While they may go off as strong favourites both this week and next, professional jobs will still be required.

Which brings me neatly onto my next point…

Wire have won their last two home meetings with Hull FC, including this 34-6 triumph last April (Image: Mike Boden)

Beware the team with nothing to lose

Of the 17 players that started Hull FC’s Round One derby loss to Hull KR, six will not feature at The Halliwell Jones Stadium this week.

It is in the pack where they have been particularly hard-hit – of the six forwards who started last week, only Jayden Okunbor is available for Round Two. Danny Houghton and Joe Cator are injured while Herman Ese’ese, Franklin Pele and Ligi Sao are all suspended.

Add to that injuries to key men such as Jake Trueman, Carlos Tuimavave and Brad Fash among others and the scale of Tony Smith’s issues becomes abundantly clear.

He returns to his old stomping ground with a heavily depleted squad, but he will no doubt be telling them that the pressure is off and that they are free to express themselves.

That in itself can make them a dangerous proposition and it is up to Warrington to handle that appropriately.

Tony Smith is without 14 first-team players for his return to The Halliwell Jones Stadium with Hull FC (Image: SWPix.com)

Wood’s time to shine

Jordy Crowther’s suspension opens up a spot in Wire’s middle unit, which was already without Matty Nicholson and Luke Thomas through long-term injury.

Joe Bullock is in the 21-man squad but is said to be unlikely to play, so it appears the stars are aligning for Max Wood to make his Super League debut.

If that does prove to be the case, it is just reward for some hard work for a youngster who was given the chance to impress Burgess on trial having been released by Wigan Warriors at the end of last year.

He did enough to earn a permanent deal then his direct and aggressive approach saw him become a hit with fans during both pre-season friendlies.

Another promising outing for Widnes on dual-registration followed at the weekend – Vikings fans even voted him as their man of the match in their win at North Wales Crusaders – and now, the ultimate reward awaits.

Having given Arron Lindop a senior debut in the Catalans cauldron last week, it is another demonstration that Burgess is not scared to use the young talent at his disposal.

Now, it is up to Wood to show his faith is not misplaced.

Max Wood could make his Super League debut on Friday night (Image: SWPix.com)