Crusaders v Wolves: Teams
Crusaders will have to wait on the fitness of Jarrod Sammut and Gareth Thomas ahead of their clash with Warrington on Sunday.
Last Updated: 04/07/10 11:39am
Crusaders will be forced to wait on the fitness of Jarrod Sammut and Gareth Thomas ahead of their clash with high-flying Warrington on Sunday.
The Wolves currently lie second in the Engage Super League table, four points behind leaders Wigan.
But they suffered a setback last Sunday after falling to a home defeat against reigning champions Leeds Rhinos in a thrilling contest.
And Crusaders, who suffered an embarrassing 41-0 defeat to Wakefield last time out, hope to inflict back-to-back losses on Tony Smith's side.
Thomas is included in the 19-man squad after missing the last two games with a groin injury.
He hopes to feature alongside scrum-half Sammut, who has made a quick recovery from a cheekbone problem, but coach Brian Noble says there are still concerns over the duo's fitness.
"We are going to have to leave it down to the last minute to see who is healthy and who is not healthy," Noble told his side's official website.
Fitness hopes
"We are hoping that Jarrod Sammut might be able to feature in some capacity. Gareth Thomas is practicing with us and we hope that he may be able to feature.
"I don't think we will have anybody else back and the disappointing news we received this week is that Jason Chan will be out.
"But the reality for us is that we may get something out of Jarrod Sammut and we may get some time out of Gareth Thomas as well, but we are pretty skinny at the moment."
Former Great Britain prop Jamie Thackray is included in the Crusaders squad after he agreed to join South Wales Scorpions.
Warrington will have to cope without England international Chris Bridge, who looks set to miss the rest of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery. Rhys Williams moves into the squad as cover.
Prop Garreth Carvell will be looking for a second appearance after breaking his leg, as the visitors hope to complete a second consecutive double over the Wrexham-based side.
However, coach Tony Smith admitted: "They are a dangerous team and if they get it right on the day they can beat anybody. It is one we look forward to but we will need to improve on a few areas from last week."
Crusaders RL (from): Thomas, Youngquest, Martin, Sammut, O'Hara, Withers, Bryant, Hauraki, Trimarchi, Dyer, Winternstein, Peek, Thackray, James, Flower, White, Lupton, Schifcofske, Hanbury.
Warrington (from): L. Anderson, V. Anderson, Atkins, Briers, Carvell, Grix, Harrison, Hicks, Higham, King, Mathers, Monaghan, Morley, Myler, Riley, Solomona, Westwood, Williams, Wood.