The Lions XV we see named to play the Maori All Blacks on Saturday morning is likely to be the strongest indication of how Gatland will pick his side for the first Test against the All Blacks the following week.
Like Warrenball's attacking strategy, the results of this Lions tour have taken on a predictable pattern.
Weekends bring wins; midweeks furnish defeats.
The squad is increasingly cleaved into players who'll play the Test matches, those who will be relied upon against the Super Rugby sides, and Jack Nowell. It looks unclear as to how many of the midweek side will make it to the weekend, but it has been largely expected that captain Sam Warburton used Tuesday's defeat to the Highlanders to boost fitness ahead of inclusion in the Test side.
Not that everybody agrees. He scored a try against the Highlanders but did little else, and 2009 Lion Luke Fitzgerald believes that he should not make the squad.
Speaking to Second Captains, Fitzgerald gave his picks for jerseys 6, 7, and 8, and explained that he's been disappointed with captain Warburton:
Back-row is interesting to me. It looked best balanced with Pete O'Mahony, Seanie O'Brien, and Faletau. But CJ Stander had a pretty decent game today [against the Highalnders]. I think Itoje will end up on the bench, he's been pretty good bar the defensive blooper for the Sonny Bill Williams break against the Blues.
I was really disappointed [with Warburton]. He's a really good fella, but he's the least talented of the three 7s there. I never understand why Tipuric doesn't get picked ahead of him for Wales, and I think Seanie - I know I'm a bit biased here - but I think he is playing some good rugby. There's a challenge with him about game time, and he's had an injury-ravaged few years, but he is the most talented of the three.
Host Eoin McDevitt interjected, citing Warburton's leadership abilities as captain, something Fitzgerald disagrees with:
He [Sean O'Brien] would be a better leader than Warburton. Remember, he [Warburton] had Paulie and Drico on that last Lions tour. So that was a help. From what I gather, he wouldn't be the most inspiring of blokes. A quiet guy. Very hard-working, obviously. He covers all those bases, as you'd expect from a top-quality guy. But from what I gather, from the bits of information I heard from the last tour, I wouldn't say that people aren't blown away by him.
I actually thought Alun-Wyn [Jones] would get the captaincy, I thought he was a better fit for that job. I don't see the Warburton thing.
Fitzgerald went on to say that O'Brien "got shafted on the last tour with Warburton being picked ahead of him, and I'd be gutted for him if it happened again".
Fitzgerald was illuminating on a number of different aspects of the tour, so it's well worth a full listen through SecondCaptains.com.
