
Sean O’Loughlin expects to see Wigan Warriors show effort and intensity on Sunday when they take on Leeds Rhinos. The Warriors head to Headingley to provide the opposition for Ash Handley’s testimonial, but the clash is about more than that as the two clubs prepare for the start of the new Super League season.
Wigan have already been in action once this month, beating Oldham with a young side last weekend, but they know that in just two weeks they have their first competitive hit out of the season in the third round of the Challenge Cup, with their Super League opener agianst Leigh Leopards to swiftly follow. As such, Wigan are determined to make the most of Sunday’s game opportunity, with most of their senior group set to feature in some capacity.
O’Loughlin will be the man in charge in the Cherry and Whites technical area this weekend, with Matt Peet giving the assistant coach a chance to take the reins and he has opened up on what he expects to see in West Yorkshire.
“Half the lads are preparing for their second game whilst the others are ready for a first,” O’Loughlin told Wigan Warriors’ official website. “Our international and overseas lads returned in good shape and they’ve been hitting the ground running over the last three weeks. It will be good for them to get their first hit out under their belt.”
He added: “We always try to have one friendly against Super League opposition but it’s not too much on who we come up against as our aim is to put the things we’ve worked on through pre-season into action. You want your opponents to test the things we’ve worked on in pre-season.
“Even though it’s a friendly, it’s a testimonial game so I’m sure the Leeds lads will be fired up and wanting to put a performance in. They’re another month further in their preparations so they’ll be looking to see improvements, and we know Brad Arthur will be asking for effort like us.”
