Latest news with #RoundNine
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Matt Dufty injury latest as Burgess confirms his full-back replacement
SAM Burgess has provided a further update on Matt Dufty's fitness, with Warrington Wolves set for a spell without their influential full-back. And while the exact amount of time he will spend on the sidelines remains unclear, Burgess has ruled Dufty out of at least the next two Super League matches, starting with Saturday's trip to Leeds Rhinos. Advertisement The Australian is waiting to have surgery having fractured his left eye socket during Saturday's Challenge Cup Final following a head-on-head collision with Hull KR forward James Batchelor. Dufty is treated on the field at Wembley (Image: Allan McKenzie/ Having initially attempted to play on, Dufty eventually succumbed in the final 10 minutes before the Robins went on to snatch victory in the dying seconds to break Warrington's hearts. He is the second Wire player to suffer a fractured eye socket in recent weeks after scrum-half Marc Sneyd did so during the Round Nine victory over St Helens. Sneyd returned just 16 days later in time for the Challenge Cup semi-final victory over Leigh Leopards, but Burgess hinted Dufty may be out for a longer period. Read more Sauaso Sue spitting verdict confirmed as tribunal reaches decision Advertisement Why fans may want to arrive early and stay late when Wire visit Headingley Warrington Wolves' Super League task explained as season resumes 'We don't know exactly as he hasn't had his surgery yet – there's too much swelling at the moment,' he said. 'He'll be going in at the end of the week. 'It'll be similar to what Marc Sneyd's was and that was two or three weeks. 'We obviously pushed Marc – and he pushed himself – for the semi-final and we're not in that situation anymore, but we'll see how Duff pulls up early next week. 'He's not going to be playing for at least two weeks.' Sam Burgess confirms Matt Dufty full-back replacement With young full-back Cai Taylor-Wray also absent with a torn hamstring, Burgess all but confirmed Stefan Ratchford would deputise for Dufty in what will be his first start at full-back since July 2022. Advertisement The veteran came off the bench to replace Dufty at Wembley and Burgess said simply slotting him in 'makes a bit of sense.' 'Stef's played there before and has filled a number of roles for us, so it looks that way,' he said. 'We've got a few things we want to have a look at over the next few days but it probably makes a bit of sense. 'He's such a valuable bloke and he's played pretty much everywhere – he's told me he's not played front-row so I'm not sure I'm going to put him there! 'Keeping him on this year was a big decision, but we thought he could add some value and I think he's played around 75 per cent of our games this year. Advertisement 'He's filled a number of roles and has done a good job, so he's great to have around.' More than half of Stefan Ratchford's 351 Wire appearances have come at full-back, but his last start at number one came back in July 2022 (Image: Paul Currie/ Warrington Wolves post-Wembley injury news Burgess confirmed Dufty was Warrington's only fresh injury concern ahead of the Round 14 trip to Headingley. Skipper George Williams, centre Toby King and forwards Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Jordy Crowther all returned from injury for the cup final and all are likely to feature against Brad Arthur's side. Advertisement 'They all came through the game okay so touch wood, if their week goes okay they should all be lining up this week,' Burgess said. 'In terms of new injuries, it's just Duff – there's a few bumps and bruises but everybody should make the game.' Having pushed himself to return early from ankle surgery for the game, George Williams has emerged from the Challenge Cup Final unscathed (Image: Richard Sellers/PA Wire) Along with Dufty and Taylor-Wray, Warrington will still be without long-term absentees Danny Walker, Matty Ashton, Oli Leyland (all knee) and Leon Hayes (ankle) for the trip to Headingley. Walker and Hayes are still several weeks away from being back in contention, while Ashton and Leyland will both miss the remainder of 2025.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Burgess outlines Sneyd's remarkable recovery plus post-match injury news
SAM Burgess says Marc Sneyd's remarkable return to the Warrington Wolves side was driven by the man himself. Indeed, he called the fact he returned to the side less than three weeks after undergoing facial surgery 'an amazing act of human nature.' The scrum-half suffered a fracture eye socket during the Round Nine victory over St Helens and as such seemed set to miss the Challenge Cup semi-final against Leigh Leopards. Not only did he get himself back in the side, however, he made the difference on the day too with his nine points from the boot – courtesy of four goals from as many attempts and a drop goal – ultimately proved the difference in taking The Wire back to Wembley. Marc Sneyd's nine points from the boot ultimately saw Warrington through to Wembley (Image: Alex Whitehead/ After the game, Burgess acclaimed that once the former Salford Red Devils had affirmed his desire to play, the decision to take a risk on his fitness became an easy one. 'He's a brilliant player and a very strong-willed bloke,' he said. 'He was the one who came to me and said 'I'm going to train this week and if I can train, I'll play.' 'It's so valuable having a guy around who drives standards like that – it's quite easy to follow a bloke who says things like that after having surgery a couple of weeks ago. 'I'm proud of Marc and for his family – I thought he was very good for us.' When asked whether or not, medically speaking, Sneyd should have played, the Wire boss added: 'Well we all hear about these amazing acts of human nature… 'The brain is a powerful muscle and he made a commitment to himself to play, so he played. 'It was an easy decision to pick him – there's always an element of risk but it's paid off.' Sneyd was not the only Warrington player who returned to the side – winger Matty Ashton and centre Toby King were also making their comebacks having sat out the Magic Weekend loss to Wigan Warriors. However, Ashton was one of three players who were forced off injured during the 21-14 victory at the Totally Wicked Stadium as he was replaced by Arron Lindop in the first half. Matty Ashton was forced off injured during the first half (Image: Richard Sellers/PA Wire) Josh Thewlis then failed a head injury assessment following a head-on-head collision with Leigh forward Owen Trout – an incident Burgess was critical of the handling of by the match officials – while Lachlan Fitzgibbon also had to be replaced due to a recurrence of a rib issue. Thewlis will now definitely miss next weekend's trip to Wakefield Trinity under concussion protocol while Burgess cast doubt on Ashton and Fitzgibbon's chances of being fit. 'Thewlis failed his HIA. I'd love a bit of clarity on the rules with that – it's on report and it's head-on-head, my player's knocked out,' he said. 'I don't know if the rules have changed but I'd love some clarity from Phil Bentham (RFL head of match officials) and his team on that. 'I heard (St Helens head coach) Paul Wellens talking about it, (Catalans Dragons head coach) Steve McNamara was talking about it yesterday so I'm not the only coach talking about it but there's limited input and conversation on it. 'It's hard for me to then lead as a coach not knowing exactly what the rules are. It's hard to work it out. 'Fitzy is in a bit of pain – he's got some rib problems so he might need a couple of weeks. 'Tashy is a knee issue and we're not quite sure what it is. 'The first reports aren't too bad so let's think in a few weeks' time he'll be ready to play.'
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The Wire player Joe Philbin believes will thrive under added pressure
WITH several key players on the sidelines, Warrington Wolves will need other sources of inspiration for the foreseeable future. However, Joe Philbin believes one player in particular will step up to the plate in the shape of Matt Dufty, whom he feels will thrive under the weight of added responsibility. First-choice half-backs George Williams and Marc Sneyd will be missing when The Wire face Wigan Warriors at Magic Weekend, with the latter suffering a suspected fractured eye socket during the victory over St Helens last week to go with the former's long-term ankle injury. In their absence, Dufty played a key role in the two second-half tries that sealed Warrington's Round Nine win, opening up the Saints defence to send Josh Thewlis away to set up Rodrick Tai before scoring the final try himself late on. And Philbin is looking forward to seeing the Australian rise to the occasion again. 'It was a much-needed win for us against Saints, and I thought there were a lot of heroic efforts from the team,' he told the Super League website 'We had players going down left, right and centre so those are the best wins when you can come together like that and it's good for the team spirit. 'It was my favourite performance from Matt Dufty as well. 'He can come up with all the big plays and X Factor moments he likes – including that match-winner – but when Sneyd went down and we had Ben Currie and Danny Walker at halfback, he really stood up and took the leadership role. 'He's going to be massive for us especially in the next few weeks. I think he will enjoy the extra responsibility and really rise to it so I'm looking forward to seeing this. Joe Philbin is backing Matt Dufty to thrive under added pressure in the absence of half-backs George Williams and Marc Sneyd (Image: Alex Whitehead/ 'It's gutting that we've lost Marc who got that horrific face injury last week and our captain George on the sidelines – probably two of our most influential playmakers. 'But with this adversity, it means there's an opportunity for other players to step up and that excites me. 'Whoever is selected to play at the weekend should grasp the chance with two hands. The lads who don't play every week always do such an amazing job when they're called up.' And there is, of course, an extra motivating factor for The Wire this weekend given this is their first meeting with Wigan since the two faced off in Las Vegas earlier this year. That game was a humbling experience for Philbin and his teammates, who were on the end of a 48-24 hammering at Allegiant Stadium. While admitting the squad will use that chastening experience to drive them on Sunday, the Warringtonian front-rower says focusing on getting their own performance right has to be the first step. 'Wigan have had the upper hand in Super League recently, so it's a good opportunity to put that right," he said. 'We didn't showcase ourselves how we wanted to in Vegas, but that's motivation for Magic this year. 'Vegas had a huge game feel and was all about putting Super League on the map in a different country, but we (Warrington) didn't really do that, which was disappointing. 'But it's a big, big motivating point for us. 'We've just got to play our game and not focus what they're doing so much. 'We've played each other enough times to know each other's threats and strengths. 'Wigan are a very settled team – they kick well through Harry Smith, they've got good forwards and then individual brilliance in Bevan French and Jai Field. 'A full team performance is going to be needed and it's all about playing our game. 'The last few times we've played Wigan, we probably haven't played our best game, so it's all about doing 'us' this time.' Philbin and teammate Lachlan Fitzgibbon tackle Wigan's Tyler Dupree in Las Vegas (Image: Alex Whitehead/ Sunday will be the fifth time the two neighbours have met at Magic Weekend, and Philbin has been lucky enough to play in all four of them. Those previous games have resulted in two Warrington wins in 2019 and 2021, a Wigan triumph in 2018 and a draw in 2017. 'I feel lucky that I've been able to play at some of the best stadiums our country has to offer,' he said. 'As you get older, you often look back on your career and to be able to say I've played at places like St James' Park and Anfield is brilliant. 'I got to play against Wigan at Anfield and won there, which was very, very special – I'm a Liverpool fan and there are a lot of Liverpool fans in the Warrington team. 'But just to be on the big stage – that's what you want to be doing as a player as often as you can and having that big game feel is my favourite part about Magic. 'For personal reasons, Anfield was my favourite although Newcastle is also amazing. My favourite part about Newcastle is that it's right in the middle of the city. 'For example, when you nip out for a walk to get a bottle of water from the shop, you're getting greeted and cheered by the Warrington fans – or getting some stick from some of the others – but I love all that.' Joe Philbin has played in all four Magic Weekend meetings between Warrington and Wigan, including at his beloved Liverpool FC's Anfield home ground in 2019 (Image: Alex Whitehead/
