Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet has warned that his players must approach Friday night’s game against Wakefield Trinity as a challenge and appreciate it as the big game that it is, for fear of being found out.
Peet has declared that if there is a ‘lull’ then his side will get beaten and have their six-game winning run ended, with the Warriors now one of Super League’s form teams despite a previous four-game losing streak in the competition.
Even during their Super League losing streak, Wigan managed to knock off Friday’s opponents Wakefield in the Challenge Cup, albeit in a tight 26-22 affair.
As such, Peet is well aware of the threat posed by a Wakefield side that came from behind to beat Hull KR last week.
“We know we’re against high-quality opposition and it’s a great place to go and play a team who challenge you everywhere,” he said in his pre-match presser, with quotes shared on the Wigan Warriors’ club website.
On Trinity, he added: “They’ve got a lot to them. They throw an attacking shape as good as anyone and they’ve got outstanding athletes. It’s all right solving the shape, but you’ve got to deal with strong ball carriers too. Defensively they are resilient with physicality across the park, and the results speak for themselves.”
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Wigan Warriors excited for huge top six clash
As for his own side, Peet admitted that despite the recent Wembley celebrations and travel to and from Paris, his side are energised and ready to kick on at this midway stage of the season.
“We’ve trained well, the energy seems good, and there’s an excitement about this fixture,” he said.
“Our job is to not look back or forward too much, but to keep trying to get better. Going day-to-day and session-by-session has served us well before attacking games the best we can when they come around.”
Warning his side and noting the status of the game against the side third in Super League, Peet said: “If there’s a lull, we’ll get beat – it’s that simple and the players are aware. The fixture itself, and the challenge ahead, should keep players and coaches highly motivated.
“It’s exciting in its own right following a few big games, and we see it in that bracket.”
It marks the latest of several recent top six battles, all of which prior to round 14 have been won by the home side bar Leeds Rhinos knocking off Hull KR in Las Vegas, highlighting how big the task will be for Wigan to go on the road and win.
