Warrington Wolves assistant coach backs teenage full-back

With Stefan Ratchford injured and Jake Mamo suspended, 17-year-old Thewlis may start at full-back against Catalans Dragons tomorrow after being named in The Wire’s 19-man squad yesterday.

Assistant coach Henderson stopped short of confirming whether or not the Waterhead Warriors junior would play but is confident he is capable of making the step up to senior rugby.

“Steve (Price) will make the final call with his team selection tomorrow,” he said.

“What I can say is that, if he does get the nod, he’s ready.

“He’s been training with the first team now for a few months – he trains with us early in the week then goes back to the academy.

“It’s not going to be foreign to him – it’s not as if he’s just come in this week because we’ve got a couple missing.

“He’s very coachable. He’s an honest kid as well.

“You need kids who want to be better but understand that they have to be patient.

“Josh is probably ahead of most in his age – there won’t be many at 17 who will be knocking on the door of making their Super League debut.

“He’s humble and wants to be the best he can be. He’s got no fear – he throws himself into our training.

“He’s a special talent and when the time is right – whether that is tomorrow or not – he will be ready to play.”

Thewlis, who only turned 17 at the end of April, was part of The Wire’s scholarship side that went unbeaten last year before stepping up to the academy.

Henderson believes the progress of the full-back and others in his side shows the commitment the club has made to improving its youth development strategy is starting to bear fruit.

“We’re very passionate about developing our youth and it’s something we’ve been looking to address since we’ve been here,” he said.

“I think we’ve made some real strides with it – Gary Chambers is doing a great job with our scholarship team, as is Paul Anderson with the academy.

“We are now starting to see some kids coming through and pushing for places. Josh is an example of that.”