Mikey Lewis was limited to just 11 minutes in Liverpool for the second Ashes Test.
England head coach Shaun Wane admits that he envisages Mikey Lewis playing a bigger role in Saturday’s third and final Ashes Test in Leeds.
The maverick Hull KR star played just the final 11 minutes at Everton FC’s Hill Dickinson Stadium from the interchange bench, deployed at hooker for team-mate Jez Litten.
However, the 2024 Man of Steel struggled to make his mark with the limited minutes, as England lost 14-4 and the Kangaroos sealed the Ashes series with a game to spare.
The two international giants will meet one final time at Headingley Stadium on Saturday, with England desperate to avoid a series whitewash.
“I imagine Mikey is going to have more minutes,” Wane said. “There was a lot of talk about bringing him earlier in game two. When you look at what he did, I won’t hesitate this week to bring him on earlier.”
Harry Newman and Joe Burgess will also be involved for the first time this series, replacing Jake Wardle and Dom Young – the Newcastle Knights winger suffering a broken foot in Liverpool.
Wane admits they will be the only changes to his 17, explaining: “Just them two. Dom Young has a broken bone, so he’s out and in a boot. I’m looking forward to seeing Joe Burgess, he’s earned it, and Harry Newman as well playing at Leeds.
“Jake [Wardle] has had some problems. He’s done well to play in two Tests, he’s been knocked up throughout the season and quite a few players [have].
“Our Super League season is so condensed, you get so many players carrying injuries into this. We play 10 games a year on average more than them, and you end up carrying lots of knocks.
“That’s what we had against Samoa and Tonga. Daryl Clark finished the Tonga series in 2023, and he had three operations. A hip, a knee and something else. It makes my admiration for them all the much better when you see how much they have a go in international camp.”