Zak Hardaker’s future at Wigan Warriors revealed

On Wednesday, Wigan Warriors head coach Matty Peet named his 21-man squad to take on St Helens in their mouthwatering Good Friday clash.

One notable absentee was Zak Hardaker, who has made the right wing his home in the past year.

Peet later confirmed that the former Leeds Rhinos and Castleford Tigers star had been dropped for ‘falling below standards’ expected at the Wigan club.

The new Warriors boss did, however, confirm that Hardaker would be in contention for selection next week.

Hardaker responded himself on social media, posting: “Just a stumble. Learn and move. Don’t read too much into things.”

In the build-up to Wigan’s game against St Helens today, Sky Sports pundit Jenna Brooks revealed that she had spoken to Peet about whether or not he had a future at the club.

“Zak Hardaker was dropped because Matt Peet told me that he failed to meet some of the standards off the field,” Brooks said.

“The goalkicker, however, does have a future at the club with Peet just saying he needed to learn from his mistakes.”

Hardaker has been at Wigan since 2019, registering over 60 appearances following spells at Leeds Rhinos, Castleford Tigers and NRL side Penrith Panthers.