TONY Smith has his Warrington Wolves side in training this weekend after taking the opportunity to give them a rest earlier in the week.

Following the win against Castleford last Friday and missing out on a Challenge Cup final spot, Wolves are experiencing their longest turnaround between games so far this year.

But head of coaching and rugby Smith will have them working this weekend in preparation for Thursday’s clash with Huddersfield Giants.

“It gave us a chance to freshen up, it’s a bit of a luxury that we’re not used to,” he said. “We like to play each and every weekend but we managed to get a few days earlier in the week.

“It was a pretty solid performance against Castleford last week so they earned a little break there. We’re working over the weekend in preparation for the Thursday evening game.

“It was our last opportunity to give them a little bit of break at this time of the year. We’re in that process with the long turnaround so we gave the players a few days off last weekend.”

Chris Bridge picked up a hamstring injury last Friday, but Ben Currie and Ben Evans are nearing a return meaning Smith is close to having a full squad available.

“We’re getting close,” he added. “We’ve got no real long-term injuries at the moment so that’s the place to be at this time of the year, when you’re looking for fresh bodies and competition for places and putting out your best team.”