To add to that, we were expecting Albert Kelly back after he picked up a 2 game ban from a Reserves game on the opening weekend. He missed the HKR and St Helens games, but apparently, he is still banned for this week due to some weird ruling in the RFL guidelines!!

Lam has a tendency to underestimate the amount of recovery time needed for injured players - he's now saying Burgess, Flower and Manfredi are 50/50 which likely means they wont play.

Smithies to start in place of O'Loughlin, Powell for Smith with Havard or Bryne coming in on the bench.

I was reading that, looks like he was available for your HKR match but you didn't pick him, somebody in your admin dept needs a telling off.

French
Marshall
Hardaker
Bibby
Burgess
Smith (give him as much game time as possible)
Hastings
Bullock
Powell/Leuluai
Byrne
Isa
Farrell
Smithies

Partington
Clark
Clubb (his 10 mins might be more effective as a sub)
Powell/Leuluai

I find Lams injuries updates bizarre, Powell and G Burgess were 50/50 for the cas game.

Seems to be over optimistic after a game about people coming back.

It’s because he’s inexperienced.

His Wigan TV interview seemed to confirm Flower and Burgess will miss out. If that’s correct then you’d imagine the team won’t be too dissimilar to last week but I’d make a couple of changes.

French
Marshall Hardaker Bibby Burgess
Leuluai Hastings
Bullock Powell Partington
Isa Farrell Smithies

Clark Byrne Wells H Smith

I’m pretty sure 16 of those will play though and Clubb will be in and not Wells. He may go Havard for Smith also.

21 man team for Hull Sunday.
1 Zak Hardaker
2 Liam Marshall
3 Chris Hankinson
5 Joe Burgess
6 Bevan French
7 Tommy Leuluai
8 Tony Clubb
9 Sam Powell
11 Willie Isa
12 Liam Farrell
15 Joe Greenwood
16 Morgan Smithies
17 Ollie Partington
19 Joe Bullock
20 Liam Byrne
21 Dom Manfredi
22 Mitch Clark
23 Jake Bibby
28 Harry Smith
30 Ethan Havard
31 Jackson Hastings

With every game that Burgess misses you have to wonder how on earth he managed to get named for the Wire game.

Worrying it's still his hip as he has had big issues with it in the past - didn't he refer to it as arthiritic at one point?

There are major concerns at Wigan in respect of Burgess' hip injury.

Hope there is some form of medical insurance in place but it was a pre-existing injury!

Which begs the question how detailed was the clubs medical examination prior to his signing? In football you always hear 'signing subject to a fitness test' you could say the same here.

Let's hope we don't have an expensive Luke Davico on our hands.

I'd go

FB 6 French
RW 2 Marshall
RC 1 Hardaker
LC 23 Jake Bibby
LW 5 J.Burgess
SO 28 Smith
SH 31 Hastings
P 19 Bullock
H 7 Leuluai
P 20 Byrne
SR 11 Isa
SR 16 Smithies
LF 12 Farrell

S 9 Powell
S 17 Partington
S 22 Clark
S 30 Havard

Smith's defence worries me but at least he looks a threat ball in hand. Considered Greenwood over Isa but at least Isa throws himself into the game, even if he is less talented and gives away stupid penalties. Farrell has come to into his own at loose in the past, give him the ball and the leaway to choose where he attacks.

Three props on the bench to combat their big pack. Clubb offers less than the youngsters at this stage, not worth a spot. What's the crack with Flower? They only mention Gildart as injured.

Starting to get really concerned about the injury status of G Burgess. An update would be nice and just seeks to fuel the fire that this hip injury is a serious one. It may be premature but we may need to start looking at replacements. G Burgess was meant to add fire and size to the pack, at the moment he’s a white elephant.

As for the team, I agree with earlier comments about Hull’s pack size; we need to match and dominate in that department to stand any chance.

1. French
2. Marshall
3. Zak
4. Bibby
5. J Burgess
6. Hastings
7. Smith
8. Bullock
9. Powell
10. Clarke
11. Isa
12. Faz
13. Smithies

14. Bryne
15. Havard
16. Tommy
17. Partington

I’d be tempted to switch Partington with Isa in the back row rather than with Bullock/Clarke at prop. I think he’d suit that role far more than prop. As much as I want Manfredi in, it’s probably a game too soon. Another run out with the reserves won’t harm him.

Any news on Flower? We could do with his experience in the pack.

I'll be surprised if Smith gets a starting slot. I don't know why we have three wingers in the squad. They are surely going to do 80, so either Manfredi is fit and ready for a game, in which case leave out Marshall or Burgess, or he isn't (my view would be, he isn't).

We have got 6 props in the squad also but they wont all play.