Warrington Wolves talking points before Hull FC Round 10 clash

The Wire will be out to prove their loss at Salford on Saturday was just a bump in the road while the Black and Whites are desperately seeking a boost following a long losing run.

As usual, our Wire reporter Matt Turner has picked out five key pre-match talking points surrounding Sam Burgess' side to mull over ahead of kick off...

A different kind of pressure

Just 70 days after they last visited, Hull FC roll into The Halliwell Jones Stadium to face Warrington Wolves with both sides in very similar positions.

Like the Round Two meeting, Warrington are looking to bounce back from a defeat will be confronted with a home crowd and general watching public expecting them to do so handsomely.

Things looked gloomy for the Black and Whites then, and they are barely any brighter now having leaked points at will of late with still just the sole victory over London Broncos to their name this year.

At a club where expectations are as high as they are at The Wire, there is pressure on every game and as we get deeper into the season and contests get more meaningful, that will only increase and we will find out just how well equipped the squad are to handle it.

For now, though, the focus will be getting back on the horse both in terms of result and performance, with some huge games to follow over the next month or so.

Sam Powell celebrates scoring in the Round Two win over Hull FC (Image: Mike Boden)

Will losing at Salford actually help Wire?

By that same token, one cannot help but wonder if falling to defeat on Saturday might help Warrington on Friday.

Sometimes it can take a smack on the nose to clear your head, and Wire certainly got one at the hands of the Red Devils.

Had they won the game, perhaps Sam Burgess would have been tempted to rest a few more of his players but now they have to get some momentum working in their favour again.

What Saturday did show is that they are capable of losing games they are expected to win and while the players will have been aware of that already, it should act as the proverbial “kick up the backside.”

Wire suffered a setback at Salford on Saturday (Image: SWPix.com)

Drinkwater’s time to shine

While everybody’s good wishes remain with Leon Hayes following his devastating and likely season-ending injury, the team has no choice but to move on without him for the time being.

We have heard so much about the squad’s “next man up” mentality and this week, that next man is Josh Drinkwater.

And for him personally, this could not have come at a better time.

With his contract in its final months, the scrum-half’s future is still very much up in the air and at 31 years of age, he will feel he still has plenty to offer a top-flight side.

In theory, he has the opportunity of a long run in the side to prove just that, whether his future lies at Warrington or elsewhere.

Drinkwater freely admits to being disappointed with his own displays last year, which led to him being much-maligned by supporters but now, he holds his destiny in his own hands.

Josh Drinkwater will step back into the halves in the absence of Leon Hayes (Image: Mike Boden)

Can “weaker” be stronger through the middle?

Of late, we have seen Warrington’s middle unit has actually been stronger when it is – on paper at least – weaker.

The victories at Leeds and St Helens came despite the absence of some key players in that position and while their absences this week may be by choice, with Sam Burgess opting to give workhorses James Harrison and Jordy Crowther a breather, they will have to summon that strength again.

They will not lack experience or size – Zane Musgrove’s return from a four-game injury absence is timely while Paul Vaughan still remains an option alongside Ben Currie, Joe Philbin, Joe Bullock and young bolter Max Wood.

In the past two games despite the middle unit being restocked, Wire have at the very least had spells of being dominated physically. At Salford especially with arguably their full strength starting pack on the field, that came as a worrying surprise.

Now, Burgess will be looking for a response.

Zane Musgrove is set to return from a four-game injury absence in the front row (Image: SWPix.com)

The return of an old favourite

There will not be many in these parts who do not wish Simon Grix anything other than success.

For he was a valued servant of this club as a player, more than playing his part in an era in which Warrington Wolves went from also-rans to contenders.

His versatility was always of high value to Paul Cullen, James Lowes and Tony Smith and while injury issues dogged him and indeed cost him the chance to appear in all three of Wire’s Challenge Cup Final wins under the latter, he still managed 164 appearances in primrose and blue.

Now, he returns to his old stomping ground for the first time as a head coach as he continues to take interim charge of Hull FC.

It will be a special night for him and while everyone at the club will no doubt wish him well, that will not start until after the final hooter.

Simon Grix played in two Super League Grand Finals for The Wire, scoring a try at Old Trafford against Wigan in 2013 (Image: Mike Boden)