HENRY Fa'afili is hoping that Lee Briers will show Wigan coach Brian Noble what he is missing when Wolves travel to the JJB Stadium tomorrow, Friday.
Noble controversially left Briers out of his 40-man Great Britain squad in May and also omitted Paul Wood when he reduced the squad last week.
And New Zealander Fa'afili, who is relieved he will not have to find a way to stop Briers when the Kiwis take on Great Britain at Knowsley Road on Tuesday, reckons tomorrow's game at Wigan will give his teammate a chance to prove his worth.
He said: "Lee was unlucky not to get in the squad but he will be showcased tomorrow against the Great Britain coach.
"If anyone else deserves to be the number six for Great Britain it's Lee Briers.
"A performance tomorrow will definitely help his chances for the Tri-Nations and I wish him all the best for it.
"I think Lee and Paul Wood will both want to be showcased against Wigan."
Fa'afili might not join them on the field tomorrow with Paul Cullen considering resting the winger, who is carrying knocks to his knee and hand and potentially faces a schedule of three games in 10 days if he is selected to play for New Zealand.
Despite joining Fa'afili in the Kiwis' initial 22-man squad, Logan Swann is definitely out of the XXXX Test after being ruled out for four to six weeks with a dislocated shoulder.
Martin Gleeson's chances of lining up alongside Adrian Morley for the Lions are in the balance, with the centre expected to be ruled out of Wolves' game at Wigan, which kicks off at 8pm, with a broken finger sustained against Harlequins.
Cullen said: "The chances are we won't risk Martin tomorrow because, if the broken finger means he misses tackles or drops the ball, the mistake is there for everyone to see.
"We will not block Martin or Henry playing for their countries. That will be a decision for the Great Britain and New Zealand medical staffs.
"But the bottom line is we are not convinced Martin's finger can take a knock without doing further damage."
Rob Parker could return at Wigan after seven weeks out with a shattered cheekbone.
Ben Westwood is likely to move to the second row in place of Swann, with Paul Noone coming in at loose forward, while Chris Bridge may be involved.
Despite three consecutive defeats, Cullen says the mood in the camp has been positive ahead of the match against their rivals.
He said: "Wigan week is always special but the motivation is to show we have enough strength of character to withstand the external pressures on us.
"There have been good signs this week. The mood is encouraging. We're not feeling sorry for ourselves and we're working positively.
"Our three recent league defeats have been at St Helens, at Harlequins by a controversial penalty and against Wakefield by a drop goal. We know we're not a million miles away."
Expected 18-man squad: Stuart Reardon, Henry Fa'afili, Richie Barnett, Toa Kohe-Love, Chris Bridge, Brent Grose, Lee Briers, Simon Grix, Paul Wood, Jon Clarke, Chris Leikvoll, Ben Westwood, Mike Wainwright, Paul Noone, Michael Sullivan, Rob Parker, Andy Bracek, Steve Pickersgill.
Statistical preview
Last meeting: Warriors 12 Wolves 24, March 10, 2006. Richie Barnett, Chris Bridge and Henry Fa'afili crossed, with Lee Briers adding four goals and four drop goals. Away record versus Warriors in Super League: Played 14, won 1, drawn 0, lost 13, points scored 173, points conceded 416. Coach: Brian Noble. Form guide - Warriors' last five games: Catalans (H) won 24-18, Leeds (A) lost 48-22, St Helens (H) lost 28-14, Salford (A) lost 16-4, Wakefield (A) lost 10-8. Team for last match: Chris Ashton; Pat Richards, Kris Radlinski, Nathan McAvoy, Brett Dallas; Danny Orr, Mick Dobson; Scott Logan, Mickey Higham, Bryan Fletcher, Gareth Hock, Danny Tickle, Sean O'Loughlin. Subs: Iafeta Palea'asina, Jerry Seuseu, Wayne Godwin, Danny Hill. Team news: Mark Calderwood and David Vaealiki expected to be available again after injury. Links with Warriors: Jon Clarke started his career with Warriors, while Martin Gleeson, Mark Gleeson, Paul Wood and Mark Hilton are from Wigan. Danger man: Australian three-quarter Pat Richards is a threat from high kicks. Referee: Richard Silverwood.
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