SAM Burgess has selected arguably his strongest available squad for Warrington Wolves’ mouth-watering clash with Hull KR on Thursday night.

And while much of the team appears to pick itself, there is scope for some change to the side and a few calls for the head coach to make.

So here, we look at some of the selection dilemmas Burgess could have as he ponders his options for the Round 11 clash with the Robins…

The ‘easy’ ones

As we mentioned, much of the team appears to pick itself all being well.

Three key men have been brought back into contention, with forwards James Harrison and Jordy Crowther returning after being given a breather against Hull FC while winger Matty Ashton looks set to return after two games out with a toe injury.

It would be a surprise if all three do not resume their long-standing roles – Ashton on the left wing, Harrison in the starting front row alongside Paul Vaughan and Crowther on the bench.

Based on the squad named, it would be a surprise if there is much movement elsewhere but as we know, things are not always that simple…

The “50-50s” in doubt for the game

While he declined to name names, Burgess admitted there were a couple of players in his squad whose participation in the game could be in doubt right up until the morning of the game.

One of them may be Ashton – teenager Arron Lindop did a solid job filling in for him against Hull FC, so Burgess may be minded to give his flying winger another week of rest before the Challenge Cup semi-final.

Lindop’s continued presence in the squad may suggest the doubts lie somewhere in the outside backs, and based upon some of the events on Friday, there may be some concern over Matt Dufty’s involvement.

The full-back – ever-present and influential thus far in 2024 – took plenty of knocks in the game and received treatment for an ankle injury in the second half.

He continued for a period before being taken off late on, although Burgess insisted his knocks were nothing to cause undue concern.

Centre of attention

While Toby King has the left centre role pretty much locked down, things have been more in flux on the right.

When fit, Connor Wrench appears to be first choice but he is at least a week – maybe longer – away from being fit to return from the ankle injury he suffered against Leigh Leopards last month.

Stefan Ratchford replaced him in the immediate aftermath but Rodrick Tai came into the side to good effect against Hull FC having built form and fitness in two appearances for the reserves since making his Super League debut in the Round Six loss to Catalans Dragons.

The Wire certainly looked more of a threat in attack with Tai in the side as they favoured the right edge with the ball, with winger Josh Thewlis scoring a hat-trick of tries, one of which was set up by the Papua New Guinean.

Will Burgess opt for the dynamism of Tai or go for a “safe pair of hands” approach and opt for his club captain in Ratchford?

The make-up of the bench

This one looks to be another “youth versus experience” call for Burgess to make.

As previously mentioned, Crowther will likely fill one of the spots and Sam Powell another, with Zane Musgrove and Joe Philbin seemingly favourites for the other two interchange forward roles.

That would seemingly put youngsters Adam Holroyd and Max Wood at the most risk of dropping out.

Neither has let Burgess down when called upon and they have both featured in some big games, but the head coach looks set to opt for his biggest guns for this one.