JOE Philbin is quite clearly a popular man in the Warrington Wolves dressing room.

And as he prepares for his Testimonial match against Leigh Leopards on Saturday night, there is agreement that few deserve it more than the hometown hero.

Ahead of the game, we asked some of Philbin's Wire teammates for their thoughts on the man who has provided a decade of service to The Wire - here is what they said...

MATTY NICHOLSON

"He’s the best bloke and a great player as well. His career speaks for itself and he fully deserves this Testimonial.

"Hopefully it will be a good night for him and we can pack the HJ out for him."

DANNY WALKER

"He’s one of my closest mates, not just here but outside of rugby too.

"I’m proud of him – he’s come from being that chubby kid to being absolutely obsessed with himself!

"There’s not many better blokes around and he fully deserves it.

"Hopefully the fans can come out in numbers and support him on the night as he’d support everyone else the way he wants to be supported."

MARTIN GLEESON (assistant coach)

"He’s a great kid and great around the place.

"For a middle, he’s got such good leg speed and I think he’ll grow even more this year. I’m really looking forward to seeing him play.

"Hopefully we get a big crowd against Leigh – we’ll be playing a strong side for it.

"He’s a really good kid and I hope he gets what he needs out of it."

MATT DUFTY

"He's an absolute legend. He’s a good bloke on the field and a great one off it.

"Anything I can do to help with his Testimonial year, I’ll get on the back of it.

"He’s got the full support of Warrington in general – not just the team, but the whole town – and nobody deserves it more."

TOBY KING

"He was there for the first part of my journey here. I came into training as a 16-year-old kid and there he was.

"We’ve been mates ever since and I’m so proud of him for getting this.

"Nobody works harder than Philbs and he’s such a proud Warrington lad.

"I can’t tell you the amount of work he does behind the scenes – he’s in the gym every night doing extra sessions.

"That’s someone who’s definitely earned a Testimonial and I hope the fans come out and back him."

PAUL VAUGHAN

"I’m really happy for Joe to get his Testimonial and he really deserves it.

"He brings great energy and always puts 110 per cent effort in.

"It’s going to be a great year for him and his family and I hope he enjoys it.

"I think he’s going to have a career-best year – he’s looking good and training really hard. The team holds him in really high regard."