Wigan Warriors boss Matt Peet was delighted with the way his side overcame a double injury blow to win at Catalans Dragons on Saturday night. The Warriors beat Joel Tomkins’ Dragons 40-4 in the south of France to cement their spot in the top two for another week as the end of the season draws ever nearer.
However, they had to deal with plenty of adversity in the south of France, with Adam Keighran and Patrick Mago sustaining issues. Keighran picked up a knee injury last week against Wakefield Trinity but was deemed fit enough to be involved this weekend and was named in the starting line-up.
Unfortunately the centre dropped out of the warm up with Peet being forced to make a late change to his line-up. And, the Warriors also lost Patrick Mago, who failed a HIA after being forced to leave the field in the first half.
That knock means Mago will miss the clash against St Helens next week.
Peet was more than pleased to see his side brush off those challenges, deal with moments that didn’t go their way and remain focused on the task at hand.
“The way the game unfolded we had to do quite a lot of goal line defence which will stand us in good stead,” Peet said after the game. “We’ll learn a bit about what we did well there and a few areas where we can be better.
“You’ll never get it all your own way when you come to Catalans – we lost a player in the warm-up and then lost Patrick [Mago] to a HIA – I like the toughness of the group, the resilience.
“I also liked the way Harvie Hill stood up and Kian McDermott, I love the way we can bring these players through and it’s a great challenge for them to come over and play like this in France.”
Expanding on the performance on Hill, who will be joining Hull FC at the end of the 2025 Super League season, Peet said: “He was really good and he’s been getting better week on week.
“He deserves everything he’s getting. He’s been patient, he works really hard and he’s one of those players, Harvie, that when he’s not quite made the squad, whether it’s been extra training or performances for the reserves, he’s a very good professional and he’s an excellent teammate and the lads love to see him get his rewards.
“I thought we looked like a group who were playing for one another today which makes me most proud.”
