Wane will wait on making call on loans

Unless Wigan pick up any further knocks, they should start the new campaign in good health, with Sam Tomkins and Dom Manfredi the only front-line players injured.

Wane has 37 players in his first-team squad and believes some would benefit from spells away.

He intends to make a call next month, and may even wait until after their two senior friendlies, at Leigh (22nd) and Catalans (28th).

“It’s something we’ll look at and decide next month,” said Wane. “There may be a couple who benefit from a spell elsewhere.”

He allowed Ryan Hampshire (Castleford) and Connor Farrell (Widnes) to leave on season-long loans in 2016.

Farrell has since returned, having made 12 appearances in an injury-hit campaign for the Vikings, while Hampshire has moved to Leigh.

Wigan have used the loan system to good effect in recent years, allowing players who wouldn’t otherwise make the side some first-team experience elsewhere.

Josh Charnley and Oliver Gildart actually made their Super League debuts at Hull KR and Salford respectively, before returning to nail down regular spots for Wigan.

Many of Wigan’s fringe players are too old for the Under-19s.

And the ongoing uncertainty over the reserves competition - revived last year - muddies the water.

Wigan are hoping to have around 16 reserve matches in 2017 but a fixture-list has yet to be completed.

“We need the reserves, it’s a big part of what we do,” said Wane. “But even with the reserves, there are players here who need a better-standard of competition.”