SUCH is the competition for places at Warrington Wolves these days, stepping back into the team is far from guaranteed should you step out.

That is particularly the case in the pack, with mid-season signings Luke Yates and John Bateman adding to an already impressive arsenal for the run-in.

As such, James Harrison was fearful his recent suspension would cause him to miss more than the two games he was forcibly sat down for.

With reassurance from Sam Burgess and his coaching staff, however, the England international prop was able to take his ban as a blessing in disguise.

When his suspension for the red card he received at St Helens was handed down, Harrison had missed just two games this season and had also featured for his country in their mid-season Test against France.

So while he was never truly happy at being on the sidelines, he was able to take the positives.

“It was a long couple of weeks,” the Yorkshireman told the Guardian.

“It was strange as I’ve not really had any bans, but I took the positives out of it. I’ve played a lot of games this year, so I took the chance to give the body a little rest.

“I feel refreshed now and ready for the back end of the year.

“I was gutted at first as I didn’t want to lose my spot in the team. We’ve got a lot of competition for places now, so that was my first worry.

“I spoke to Sam and Gleese (assistant coach Martin Gleeson) and they were positive about it.

“They told me to use it as a positive and get refreshed because I’d be needed for the back end of the year.”

With his disciplinary dues paid, Harrison has resumed his increasingly influential role as a cornerstone of the Warrington pack, with his front-row partnership with Paul Vaughan as consistent as it is effective.

They have now been joined in the middle unit by Yates, who has caught the eye since his move from Huddersfield Giants was brought forward to take effect immediately.

Having collided with him several times since joining The Wire in 2022, Harrison is certainly happy to no longer have the Australian facing him down.

“He’s one of those players that if you’re taking a kick-off carry, you’d run away from him as he gets underneath you and hits you hard – Liam Byrne found that out the other week,” he said, referencing Yates’ tackle on the Wigan Warriors prop in the very first contact of Wire’s victory over their neighbours last month.

“You always respect middles who play the massive minutes he does, because I know how hard it is.

“I’m really happy he’s here – he’s a good bloke and he fits well into the group.

“He does all the little things that fans maybe don’t see – the running, the third-man efforts and things like that.

“Those are the little things we expect at this club so he’ll be a good signing.”

The aforementioned game at Wigan, which Harrison was suspended for, is a game in which the front-rower says this Warrington squad have shown “glimpses” of what they are capable of.

Given what they have shown so far has put them firmly in contention for a top-two spot in Super League, the prospect of the team having more gears to go to now squad health is returning to normal is certainly an enticing one.

However, the 27-year-old emphasised the importance of “peaking at the right time” as the business end of the campaign approaches.

“I think we’ve shown glimpses of our best, but we also know there’s so much more to give,” Harrison said.

“We see it in our training every week – some of the stuff we dish up is unbelievable.

“It’s hard to replicate that in a game and that’s probably why you’ve not seen the full of it yet.

“There’s been glimpses against some good teams – Wigan away, for example, when we were outstanding, but we also had six players missing who normally would be starting.

“It’s exciting but we need to peak at the right time.

“Nearly everyone is fit now and there’s some good competition for places, so it will be an interesting few weeks.”