THERE are not too many teenagers who can say they are bona fide first-choice players in Super League currently.

That was the case for Matty Nicholson last year – as one of only two recognised second-rowers in the Warrington Wolves squad, it was safe to assume he would play whenever available.

That proved to be the case but this year, things could be very different.

With Lachlan Fitzgibbon arriving from the NRL and with highly thought-of academy graduate Adam Holroyd a year older and more experienced, there are certainly more options available to new head coach Sam Burgess on the edges.

But could the odd spell out of the firing line end up being beneficial for Nicholson, who is still only 20 years of age with his whole career in front of him?

“With it being just me and Ben Currie as back rowers last year, I think it probably didn’t help me in a way,” he admits.

“Obviously I want to play every week but being so young, it’s probably not the smartest thing to do so.

“With the competition we’ve got this year, it’s only going to make me better as a player and as a person as well.

“Lachie’s come in and has been great with his leadership, not just for the team but for myself personally. I feel like I’ve learned a lot from him already as we’re in similar positions.

“He’s a great player and I’ll try and learn as much as I can from him.

“We’ve tried to implement a few more structures that gets the back-rowers’ hands on the ball a bit more.

“At times last year, we didn’t really touch the ball as much as we’d have liked to but hopefully this year, you’ll see a lot more of us.”

Or rather than a spell out of the team, could it mean a change of position for the youngster when he returns from his current groin injury?

That was certainly mooted when Fitzgibbon’s impending arrival was announced back in July, with Nicholson earmarked for a switch to loose forward to accommodate the Newcastle Knight.

Of course, there has been water aplenty to flow beneath the bridge since then – it was, after all, a plan cooked up by Daryl Powell, who was shown the door not long afterwards.

However, all the signs are that Burgess is of a similar mindset when it comes to Nicholson’s role in the side – and that is music to the former Wigan man’s ears.

“I was a 13 all the way through my academy career,” said the man who has taken over the primrose and blue number 13 jersey for 2024.

“It was only really when I came to Warrington that I moved to the back row.

“It’s a position I prefer as you get your hands on the ball a bit more.

“Me and Sam have spoken a lot about that. He wants me to keep my options open so I’ll be playing second row but a lot more middle as well.

“It’s up to me to perfect both crafts but you’ll see me a lot more in the middle this year.

In terms of flitting effectively between the middle and the edges, Nicholson has no better mentor than the man who is now his head coach.

Large parts of Burgess’ legendary playing career were spent doing just that for South Sydney Rabbitohs and England so as you would expect, the youngster has been keen to soak up as much as he can.

And outside of the positional advice, Burgess’ manner and methods have made their mark on the Halifax-born talent.

“We went on an army camp and he did pretty much every drill with us,” he said.

“It’s nice to see him getting involved and as a player, it makes you realise that he really cares about the group. That’s definitely the vibe I’ve got from him so far.

“For me personally, we’ve played in similar positions so I’ve just been trying to pick his brains as much as I can.

“There’s no-one better to learn from than Sam Burgess – his career speaks for himself.

“I’ve found it great personally and everyone’s really bought into what he wants.

“Obviously, I grew up watching him but as soon as you get to know him, you realise he’s a really down-to-earth bloke.”