Wigan Warriors pulled off a major swap deal on Sunday morning as they landed Catalans Dragons forward Oliver Partington.
Partington makes the immediate switch to the Brick Community Stadium and as part of the deal, Kruise Leeming goes the other way. It’s a deal that seems to suit all parties with Catalans being short in the hooker position, while the season-long injury Oliver Wilson has picked up has left Wigan slightly short of options in the middle.
As such, the Warriors made the move to secure Partington and bring him back to the club where he started his career. The 27-year-old emerged through the Wigan academy in 2018 and went on to make 91 appearances for the Cherry and Whites before moving on to join Salford Red Devils.
Partington spent just one season with Catalans and while he did manage to impress, the Dragons struggled for momentum last season. He’ll be hoping for a more successful season this year then as Wigan look to bounce back from their own 2025 disappointment.
The loose-forward will link up with the Warriors ahead of their trip to Tenerife and he’s expected to start on the opening day of the season when Wigan travel to Castleford Tigers.
With that in mind, here’s how the Warriors could look in round one.
It’s clear that Wigan’s back line will remain relatively unchanged from last season with the only alteration to the strongest line-up being the introduction of Zach Eckersley. The winger was involved more often than not last season due to the amount of time Abbas Miski missed through injury and he has been given a starting shirt for 2026.
As such, he can be expected to start with Adam Keighran on his inside shoulder and Jake Wardle and Liam Marshall on the other side. Jai Field is at full-back, obviously, while Bevan French and Harry Smith, assuming the latter is fit enough after undergoing wrist surgery, will start in the halves.
Brad O’Neill will be the starting hooker with Tom Forber the man to spell him off the bench this year in Leeming’s absence. Wigan think very highly of Forber and Leeming’s departure to Catalans gives him the chance to make his presence felt in the side.
Luke Thompson and Ethan Havard appear to the be clearest options to start. There’s some pressure on Junior Nsemba to impress this year after losing his spot in the Wigan starting line-up last year and the England squad.
He should start against Castleford though with Liam Farrell on the other side and Partington at loose-forward. Partington’s arrival pushes Kaide Ellis to the bench and it would not be a surprise if the Australian was used as more of a prop option in 2026, with Sam Walters and Patrick Mago there too.
Sam Eseh will be hoping to have a big year at Wigan but the ankle injury he suffered in pre-season training ensures he might have to wait for his chance.
Predicted Wigan Warriors round one line-up
Jai Field; Zach Eckersley, Adam Keighran, Jake Wardle, Liam Marshall; Bevan French, Harry Smith; Luke Thompson, Brad O’Neill, Ethan Havard; Junior Nsemba, Liam Farrell; Oli Partington
Bench: Patrick Mago, Tom Forber, Sam Walters, Kaide Ellis.
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