After reports emerged stating that new Wigan Warriors signing Oliver Wilson had suffered a season-ending injury, head coach Matt Peet has confirmed those rumours to be true.
Suffering the blow less than a month into pre-season, Wilson signed for the Warriors on a bumper deal from Huddersfield Giants, but it will be at least another 12 months before he makes his debut.
Speaking to Wigan Today, a sister site of Serious About Rugby League, coach Peet explained how innocuously the injury happened, something that is never a good sign for a player.
“It’s a bad one for us,” he revealed. “He was looking fantastic in training, settling in really well, but it was probably his second or third week training with the lads.
“He was just setting off a line, and he went down – everyone heard it – and as soon as you hear that noise and you see him go down complaining about his Achilles, you fear the worst.
“It’s season done for Oliver, which is a shame, but it’s very important that we all get around him as players, staff and supporters… Make him feel welcome at the club because it’s a long, lonely road for him to come to a new club. He was determined to make an impact, and it’s going to take a little bit longer than we all hoped.”
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Wigan Warriors boss confirms surgeries for star duo
Peet also provided an update on three more players, one of which is star half-back and England international, Harry Smith. The playmaker underwent a wrist operation after the Ashes series, however the boss confirmed that he will be ready to go for the club’s opening Super League fixture against Castleford Tigers on February 15.
Abbas Miski, who has been given the squad number 16 for this year with Zack Eckersley taking the number two shirt, also went under the knife. The Lebanese international actually tore his hamstring in the Grand Final defeat to Hull KR, and had the required surgery in due course.
Returning loanee Sam Eseh is another who has had injury problems this off-season, with the former Hull FC man dislocating his ankle earlier in the off-season. However, Peet is confident that he will miss hardly any of the regular campaign, though his pre-season preparations have been severely disrupted.
