A SURREAL atmosphere will greet Warrington Wolves in their first Super League game since March this afternoon.

With coronavirus restrictions forcing the competition to resume behind closed doors, The Wire’s “home” game against Hull Kingston Rovers will be played on neutral ground at Emerald Headingley.

While they would usually be able to call upon a primrose and blue army of fans to drive them on, the players will have to find new ways to get themselves dialled in.

“Playing in front of no crowds is another thing we will have to adapt to,” co-captain Jack Hughes said.

“We’re going to have to create our own atmosphere and generate some energy that we’d usually draw from the crowd.

“It’s going to be a challenge but I’m pretty sure we’ll find a way to deal with it.”

It will be Wolves’ first taste of playing inside a Covid-secure bubble having trained under strict conditions for three weeks.

Their game is the second of two to be played at Leeds Rhinos’ home ground today after Castleford Tigers’ game against Catalans Dragons, with three more to follow tomorrow.

“It’s been pretty strange,” Hughes said.

“There’s a lot of protocols in there that we’re not used to – the one-way systems, hand sanitisers, temperature checks.

“It’s all new but the boys have adapted well to it. We’ve bought into it and we understand that there’s good reason behind it all.”

For Hughes himself, the shutdown has given him time to recover from the groin injury that had kept him out of all seven of The Wire’s matches so far.

With Ben Murdoch-Masila not named in Steve Price's 21-man squad, Hughes is likely to start in his usual right-edge second row berth.

When the Tongan international comes back into consideration, however, the former Wigan man knows he has a fight on his hands for his spot.

“I think Pricey’s going to play me at stand-off again,” he joked, referencing his famous switch to six for last year’s Challenge Cup Final win over St Helens.

“Obviously there’s competition there and it’s really good for the club. That’s what you need to go all the way and achieve big things.

“For me personally, I’ll do whatever I’m asked to do and I’ll do it to the best of my ability. That’s it for me in a nutshell.”