TURNAROUNDS are getting shorter and matches are getting more frequent.

With that in mind, management of the Warrington Wolves squad will be key if they are to keep as many of their key players on the field for as many games as possible.

The Wire’s first midweek game of the season is on the horizon – the trip to Wigan Warriors on Wednesday.

A Monday night home game against Leeds Rhinos follows as the demands on a squad already slightly stretched by injuries begin to increase.

Throw in the increasing rate of positive Covid-19 tests and after a relatively placid start, Super League is starting to become more frantic.

Ahead of Thursday’s 44-18 win over Leigh Centurions – a game which saw him without five first-team players due to call-ups to represent England against the Combined Nations All-Stars – Wire head coach Steve Price backed the methods the club uses to ensure his squad is not overworked.

“It’s going to be tough for all teams, with the shorter turnarounds and now the variant that seems to spreading now,” he said.

“We’ve got to be really diligent in a lot of areas around our organisation.

“Our players are always class in that regard but we feel we manage our roster quite well in terms of training loads.

“That’s going to play a big part in the next few weeks.

“Games getting postponed is never good but it's the current climate we're living in so we've got to be really diligent and disciplined professional athletes.

“I can't comment on other clubs but what our players and staff do is really good here.

“All clubs are pretty desperate to keep the game alive and the players are too.

“There’s some things you can’t control with this variant and it is quite a deadly disease.

“The challenge now is to be really disciplined in and around our sport.”