Luke Thompson huge effort, Liam Marshall try

Wigan Warriors manager Matt Peet met the media in the post-match press conference following their 24-6 win over Leigh Leopards on Friday, discussing a number of talking points.

Peet was asked about Luke Thompson’s 68 minutes in the middle, Brad O’Neill’s play, Jake Wardle’s classy emergence at centre, Liam Marshall’s acrobatic finishing and a new Homegrown midfielder pairing of of Harry Smith and Jack Farrimond.

Here’s the review and summary of everything that was said in the Warriors debrief.

General thoughts

“Really pleased. I think we faced a very good team, very determined, with a lot to play for, (it was) intense. It was a challenge with what happened to Mike Cooper early in the game. There was a lot of testing out there today, but I thought the group delivered.”

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Luke Thompson played 68 minutes

“I thought our middle unit overall (was good). Sometimes I look at Tommo and think he could play two games in a row. Anyone who has worked with Luke knows that he is a consummate professional to the extent that he takes great care of himself and invests in himself. He just does a lot of things that result in a performance every week, so he deserves what he gets. It was great against a good group of forwards, I can’t praise Leigh enough for the way they came after us early in the game but I thought Luke, Kaide (Ellis) and Brad O’Neill were great.”

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Brad O’Neill sin-bin and his big prostitute stage

“I don’t like to say too much now (about the books) because last time I ended up with egg on my face. I was surprised to see a card, I haven’t reviewed it in detail, but whenever there is a card, you hold your breath a little.

“It’s not just about the quantity of what he does, but the quality of what he delivers and his intent. In the end, he gets that sin-bin because he tries to make that perfect play every time and tries to win the collision. I think in the modern game there’s an art to trying to be physical and aggressive but within the rules. I just love his energy, I just saw him sing the (winning) song and he really is the most enthusiastic singing it. He’s in a good place with his game right now and his life, so we’re going to need him and take care of him.

“With the lads coming back from England this week, obviously they’ve been through a bit over the weekend and we’ve had to try and look after them during the week. I was a bit concerned going into the game that they might be a bit tired, but to a man they were outstanding.”

A new midfield pairing of Harry Smith and Jack Farrimond

“It’s the present, isn’t it? They played this week and it will be the same next week, so it’s not future, it’s present. It is a remarkable reflection on the coaches within the academy. We’ve just had Sean McHugh, who’s one of our scholarship coaches and he’s been in our system for 10 years now, and there’s a lot of people coaching in our way working on these players and the local community game, from also Jack (Farrimond) was at Leigh Miners, Junior (Nsemba) at Wigan St Judes and when you hand these players over to you and the club you have a responsibility to look after them as well as you can and give them a chance .

“There was a chance it didn’t go Jack’s way tonight, he faced an outstanding left edge, he might not get his way next week but we’ll look out for him if he applies himself like he did tonight. We know he has skill and talent, but I just love the way he went about it tonight. It was a very different game for him than in London, but I liked what he did.”

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Liam Marshall’s acrobatic finish

“He’s just a very good player. He works so hard on the other end of the court and then he gets that opportunity and finds it. A lot of the jobs of modern wings are to make yards, go between people, get hit and he does all that and wins a few penalties, but then to get that opportunity at that moment and have that skill and athleticism is what separates him. At this point. We believe the world about him.”

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A classy display from Jake Wardle in the centres

“I tell him all the time that he is very good at playing rugby league and playing in the center position. He must be a nightmare to defend against opposition centres. You can’t just be aggressive with Jake, there’s a lot to contend with: he’s got a lot of skill, his instincts are good and he’s got a great partnership with the players around him, so he’s another player that’s in a good place with his game at the moment and it’s a pleasure to coach him.”

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