Wigan Warriors earned a pre-season victory over Hull FC this weekend, and boss Matt Peet was delighted with his side’s performance.
A strong starting 13 was named for the Cherry and Whites, including star full-back Jai Field, Bevan French and, of course, Liam Marshall, who was celebrating his testimonial fixture.
Whilst they were by no means at their best, it was a standard pre-season fixture, and it gave both clubs time to learn combinations and most importantly gain match fitness ahead of the new season.
Wigan emerged 22-18 winners, in a game that saw Hull’s Lewis Martin score a hat-trick.
Commenting on the result as a whole, Peet was proud of his side’s performance, and it ticked all the right boxes with the Super League season now just two weeks away.
He said to the club website: “I’m pleased for a lot of reasons. It was a great way to celebrate Liam’s career, and a great challenge between two teams who went at it full on.
“We are adapting to the new way the game is being refereed, which we’ll learn a lot from, and you could see signs of what we’ve been trying to get after. That was relatively pleasing.”
Peet was, of course, referring to the speed of the ruck, and how they will be quicker in the season ahead.
He believes his team have adapted well to the rule change, and the switch to a faster ruck will make for a more exciting competition.
“We liked it,” he explained. “We’re going to have to improve some aspects, but every team will be thinking the same.
“You’re going to see more open play, more defences under duress – including our own – and more X Factor moments in the competition. That’s what we all want.”
As mentioned, it was a talented side that Peet put out, but some players were still absent.
Harry Smith missed the game as he continues to recover from wrist surgery that took place after the Ashes series, whilst the boss explained absences for a few other players.
“Ethan [Havard] was set to play but got tonsillitis on Friday so we decided not to risk him, while Brad [O’Neill] has served his suspension,” Peet revealed.
Testimonial man Marshall opened the scoring with a typical finish in the left corner. A crowd of 4,511 came to celebrate his decade of service to the club, and the Wigan boss couldn’t be happier for his star man.
He said: “We’re really proud of him, and rightly so as he’s a credit to the Club, the town, and his family.
“He makes time for people, he trains hard everyday, and he brings the energy you need in a working environment. I’ve known Liam for a long time and it’s a privilege to work with him.”
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