James Harrison’s rugby league profession has taken in stops at Batley Bulldogs, Featherstone Rovers, Leeds Rhinos and even Oxford, however at 27 he appears to have firmly settled at Warrington Wolves.
Even that has not been with out its challenges. Shortly after his transfer to the Wolves from Betfred Championship facet Featherstone for the 2022 season was confirmed, the prop suffered an ACL harm which saved him off the sphere for round 10 months, after needing surgical procedure.
The son of former Nice Britain worldwide entrance row Karl Harrison could be very a lot a key a part of the squad now although, to the extent that Warrington head coach Sam Burgess all the time has him on the forefront of his thoughts.
“I can’t speak highly enough of Jimmy,” Burgess mentioned. “He’s the first name on the team sheet really every week now.
“He is in that group of gamers you hold your hat on and he is constant. He actually has grown and within the final couple of weeks he is beginning to discover himself and his place within the group, and what he brings.
“Above all else, he is a high quality bloke. His dad was a bully of a participant, so I am not shocked Jimmy shares all these attributes.
“Sometimes I look at him and I’m just not sure how he’s getting the job done. He’s not the typical front-rower-looking type of bloke, but he’s just ferocious out there and he’s getting the rewards he deserves.”
Former Drighlington junior Harrison could not have adopted the identical path to the highest as lots of his contemporaries, however regardless of being one thing of a late bloomer he’s exhibiting himself to be greater than adept at dealing with the rigours of the Betfred Tremendous League.
A lot so, in truth, that returning former Australia worldwide and the Wolves’ sole consultant in final yr’s Tremendous League Dream Crew, Paul Vaughan, is prone to be on the interchange bench as a substitute of going straight again into the beginning line-up for Saturday’s match at residence to Leigh Leopards.
“It’s nothing to do with Paul, it’s to do with the team,” Burgess mentioned of Vaughan, who missed the latest wins over Leeds Rhinos within the league and St Helens within the Betfred Problem Cup attributable to serving a two-match suspension for a harmful deal with within the Rivals Spherical defeat at residence to Catalans Dragons.
“All my decisions are based around the team and what’s best for the team. The players are in a position where the team comes first and doing the job is more important.
“What can I do for you rather than what can I do for me is what we’re working on. We all know what Vaughany can bring, but it’s about getting the best out of Vaughany and what works best for the team.”
The Wolves sit second within the desk forward of Spherical 8, whereas Leigh discovered themselves ninth with only one win from their opening six matches. Their defence of the Betfred Problem Cup ended on the quarter-final stage final weekend too as they have been overwhelmed 26-14 by final yr’s runners-up Hull KR.
The Leopards haven’t been helped by accidents decimating their squad within the early weeks of the season, however ex-Warrington gamers Josh Charnley, Robbie Mulhern, Matt Davis, Jack Hughes, Oliver Holmes and Brad Dwyer, who lately joined Leigh on a everlasting foundation following a short-lived second spell on the Wolves, have all been named within the guests’ 21-man squad for Saturday.
Head coach Adrian Lam is sustaining a constructive outlook and is adamant Leigh are making progress, nonetheless, regardless of the outcomes not matching what he’s seeing in his facet’s performances.
“We’ve lacked consistency this season but that comes with changing players,” Lam mentioned. “We haven’t had the same team for two games in row this season.
“However I am pleased with the place we’re as a gaggle, despite the fact that we’re not getting the outcomes we would like. I can see adjustments and enchancment each week.”
Sky Sports’ coverage of Round 8 of the Betfred Super League season continues on Saturday with three games, including Warrington Wolves vs Leigh Leopards exclusively live from 2.30pm (3pm kick-off).
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