Warrington Wolves talking points before Catalans Dragons clash

Catalans Dragons' visit to The Halliwell Jones Stadium on Saturday will certainly provide a stern test of Sam Burgess' side as they look for a sixth straight win in all competitions.

Can they exact revenge for their Round One loss in Perpignan? Or will Les Dracs show Wire that they still have work to do?

Our Wire reporter Matt Turner has picked out five key pre-match talking points here...

A true test of progress

How far have Warrington come since falling short in Perpignan in Round One? Have their games since then conditioned them to hang with the established elite?

Saturday will certainly be a test of that.

Wire have won games and made progress in performance since then and you can’t ask for much more than that, but this is a big step-up in challenge.

In saying that, context needs to be applied – we are still less than a quarter of the way through the season and as such, defeat here does not mean the season should be written off.

However, it will at least be a yardstick to tell us where Wire sit at this early stage.

Wire have won all five of their matches since losing to Catalans in Round One (Image: Mike Boden)

Stick or twist in the halves

The answer to this question will probably be informed by just how fit George Williams and Josh Drinkwater are.

In midweek, Sam Burgess proclaimed both were "very close" to full fitness after injury-plagued years thus far - Williams suffered an ankle injury in Perpignan and aggravated it at Hull KR a few weeks later, while Drinkwater has missed the past three matches with a thigh issue.

Burgess insists no risks will be taken and the displays of Leon Hayes in particular have given him the luxury of not rushing his first-choice halves back, but you feel there will be a keenness to get Williams in particular back as quickly as possible.

Has Hayes done enough to keep Drinkwater on the sidelines? The vast majority of supporters would say yes and he has certainly done his chances no harm, giving Burgess a decision to make.

George Williams is in contention to return against Catalans (Image: SWPix.com)

Do Wire have enough up front?

The pack has been a key area of concern for many supporters, particularly beyond the established starting middle of Paul Vaughan and James Harrison.

They never fail to set the tone early and they did so in Perpignan, but it was when the interchange middles were introduced that the game started to turn Catalans’ way, with the monstrous Chris Satae particularly influential off the bench.

Wire’s middle looks a little different now – Ben Currie, for instance, has been effective at loose forward while Joe Bullock is now available to give the pack additional size.

They stood up well against Hull KR in their other “big test” of the year – can they do so again?

Paul Vaughan will lead Wire's front-row charge again (Image: Mike Boden)

Kick chase a key area

It is not just the pack where size and power reign supreme for Catalans – their outside backs too are all huge bodies.

In the first game, the metres they were able to gain on kick returns proved to be a massive advantage as they were able to power their way through any Wire attempts to build pressure.

As such, keeping a lid on the ground the outside backs can gain will be a big factor for Warrington.

They have done plenty of kick-chase work and have made some changes – the injection of Matt Dufty to take fourth and fifth-tackle carries makes for a more organised chase – and they will hope the fruits of their labour will be on show.

Arthur Romano is one of the big bodies Catalans have in the outside backs (Image: SWPix.com)

How does Burgess stock his back row?

Wire have some key men back in this area, but the performances of those who have stepped in have given Burgess some food for thought.

The left edge would appear to be a simple solution – Lachlan Fitzgibbon is back on deck and should slot straight back in, allowing him to build on the encouraging start he had before a family bereavement briefly took him back to Australia, and Joe Philbin to return to being a middle-unit option.

On the other side of the field, however, things get more complicated.

Ben Currie is available again but does he go in at loose forward, where he made three impressive appearances before stepping out of the team?

That would then mean Adam Holroyd, who is growing in confidence by the week, keeps his edge spot with knock-on effects for the likes of Jordy Crowther, who would then likely drop to the bench.

Throw the returning Matty Nicholson into the equation and you have quite the selection headache. How Burgess solves that will be interesting to see.

Ben Currie and Lachlan Fitzgibbon are both available again (Image: SWPix.com)