Kaide Ellis on pre-season

• Wigan’s Kaide Ellis sat down to discuss the off-season and pre-season so far.
• Ellis: “Pre-season is tough going with lots to do in this period but enjoyable.
• See the full interview on Wigan TV HERE.

Back for his second season at Wigan Warriors, Australian Kaide Ellis, who featured in 23 games during 2022 sat down with Wigan TV to talk all things pre-season.

Speaking at the Club’s Robin Park Arena training facility, Ellis said: “It’s great to be back, pre-season is tough going with lots to do in this period but enjoyable. There’s some new faces around including Jake (Wardle) and Toby (King) who have joined us and they will be great assets to the squad with their skills.”

Ellis had a well-deserved break after the season ended, he explained: “We did some travelling to Greece, Italy and Germany before heading back to Australia to catch up with friends and family.”

The sub-zero temperatures and snow were also a first for Kaide: “Until last weekend I had never driven in the snow before. On Saturday morning I drove to Robin Park but the session had been cancelled, four of the lads had some bumps in their cars, but the Aussies were fine, so maybe we are better drivers.”

Reflecting back on the Play Off Semi Final defeat to Leeds Rhinos, Ellis said: “It hurt us not getting to the Grand Final, but we weren’t good enough on the night. We spoke about it and Matty said we need to be bigger and better each day, which we have all bought into.”

Thomas Leuluai has replaced Lee Briers on the Coaching Staff and the forward is looking forward to working with him: “Tommy will be fine, he is very smart and his on-field decisions he made during his playing career will help him make the transition. He admits he doesn’t know everything, but is a quick learner.”

Looking back at his five-match suspension after the defeat to Catalans, Ellis said: “The suspension hurt me as I was sidelined for so long. Players came into the side and I had to fight my way back in, I need to be smarter and cleaner but retain my presence in 2023.”

Finally, Ellis paid tribut to Sam Powell ahead of his testimonial season with the Club: “Sam is a popular member of the squad and he is tough and has a great attitude, he is a Wiganer through and through. We all went to an event last week to support him for his launch and we look forward to supporting him throughout 2023.”