Mixed Warrington Wolves injury news as Wembley nears
WHILE all the signs are pointing to George Williams being fit to lead Warrington Wolves out at Wembley on Saturday, there are a few other players whose Challenge Cup Final participation is slightly less certain.
And on that front, head coach Sam Burgess reported mixed news as Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Jordy Crowther and Toby King battle to be fit to face Hull KR.
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Fitzgibbon returned from a rib issue for Friday's game against Castleford Tigers but picked up a fresh knee injury during the first half.
The second-rower did not return for the second half but Burgess remains confident he will be fit to feature at Wembley.
He was not as certain, however, on centre King (groin) and forward Crowther (ankle) whom he says are less likely to play at this stage.
'I think he'll be okay,' Burgess said of Fitzgibbon.
'We've not practiced this week yet so we'll know a bit more about him tomorrow but all of the signs are pointing the right way.
'Toby and Jordy are a bit more of a stretch.
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'We'll give them until the last possible minute, but they're both probably a bit of a stretch.'
After his head coach had declared following the Castleford game that Williams would likely be fit for Wembley, the skipper himself officially confirmed he would be fit to play at Monday's pre-match media event.
And Burgess believes he will not be hindering the team by doing so.
'First and foremost, we've got to be responsible,' he said.
'He's seven-and-a-half weeks post-surgery – it's been done before so it's not groundbreaking, but he's worked really hard and pushed the boundaries.
'With any player returning from injury, there's always an element of risk.
'It's not a soft tissue injury which is higher-risk, it's more structural but he's been in full practice for the last seven days or so.
'We're pretty confident in him playing the full 80 minutes.'
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