Wigan Warriors got back to winning ways against Hull FC as they ran out 46-4 winners and head coach Matt Peet has explained one of his two squad changes for the match.
Peet spoke post-match explaining that he didn’t consider the win as a “response” to last week’s golden point loss to Leigh Leopards, given just how well Wigan performed in that match.
The intensity levels of the game were that of a play-off match with both defences simply proving unbreakable meaning there weren’t glaring errors to improve on, as would normally be the case after a loss.
Despite that, Peet did opt to make two changes to his Wigan side with Abbas Miski returning from injury to replace Zach Eckersley but the second Warriors change was one that the head coach explained post-match.
Young prop Harvie Hill dropped out of the squad in place of Sam Walters, who had served as 18th man against Leigh Leopards, and Peet was quizzed on the switch, confirming that it wasn’t enforced.
The Wigan Warriors boss admitted: “Harvie hasn’t done a great deal wrong but Sam’s done a lot right and he’s been waiting for his opportunity.
“I’ve been waiting for a chance to use him. Obviously, having him on the bench brings that cover of back-row and middle which has a knock-on effect of your cover so there’s a bit more utility value.”
Walters shone in the play-off semi-final last year when Liam Farrell was absent but found himself out of the 17 once again for the Grand Final but Peet was quick to offer both Walters and Hill plenty of praise.
He explained: “He’s a good asset and it’s my fault that I’ve not managed to play him in the middle yet, he did that for our reserves last week and he was good and he got his opportunity tonight and took it.
“But Harvie is a very popular member of the team and we’ve got complete faith in him as well.”
With such a wealth of talent in the forward pack particularly, it’s a good problem for Peet to have.
He added: “The season is a long old slog and lads have weeks where they nail it and they’re really happy and they have others where they have frustration. It’s my job to contend with that.”
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A BIG win sees us take home the two points!#WWRL #SLHULWIG pic.twitter.com/aLFB7aqGy8
— Wigan Warriors 🍒⚪️ (@WiganWarriorsRL) February 21, 2025
