Byrne: Dying to Play

• Liam Byrne spoke to wiganwarriors.com ahead of this week’s Betfred Super League visit to Huddersfield Giants.
• Byrne: “I’m in the squad so I’ve got a chance this week to get back out there.”
• Huddersfield Giants v Wigan Warriors. Friday 17th March (7:45pm K.O.)

Liam Byrne says he’s ‘dying to get back and playing for Wigan’ as we look ahead to Friday’s Betfred Super League visit to Huddersfield Giants.

The Warriors will be looking to bounce back from their Round 4 defeat at home, with Byrne saying the squad knows the areas in which they must improve if they want to put in a better performance.

“We’ve reflected quickly this week and looked at where we can be better,” Byrne said, “We know that our energy was there and the effort.

“We know that we let them off the hook a little bit and we know that we need to be better in those tougher games, where it gets slower and it’s more of a grind. We know the areas we need to work on and now we’re just looking onto this week to try put everything right and come away with a win.

Byrne was named as Wigan’s designated 18th player against Catalans, as he looks to fight his way back into the side this week.

He said: “The past few weeks I’ve been dying to get back in and playing, I got back for that first game (at Hull KR) but my knee didn’t react the best after that.

“I was hoping to play again but I spoke with the coaching staff and we thought it would be best to get more training in. I’m in the squad so I’ve got a chance this week to get back out there.”

Byrne is once more named in Matt Peet’s 21-man squad, with the Prop Forward looking to stand out in anyway he can when it comes to training: “I think, for me, its about bringing the energy,” he said, “I know that I’m at my best when I’m going 100mph and focusing on the little things and just getting the energy and effort areas up there. I know that if I’m putting the effort in I can be pretty good and hopefully be somewhere near where I want to be.”

He continued: “I think going forward for myself I need to put my best foot forward, keep working hard in training and hopefully progress a little bit further than I did last year, working on the little things in my game. For the team, we need to get better in the tougher games and hopefully go one step further this year and get some silverware again.”

Friday sees Warriors head across the Pennines to West Yorkshire, as they face off against Huddersfield Giants at the John Smith’s Stadium (7:45pm K.O.).

Byrne is familiar with the test that they pose, citing a hard fought game in their 2022 Challenge Cup Final victory over The Giants back in May: “It’s always a tough game against Huddersfield,” he said, “They’ve got big players and they’re very structured in the way that they play, they’re quite hard to handle. When we played them in the Challenge Cup Final it was a tough game and I’m sure this one will be too.”

Wigan will be playing in their charity alternate kit with Nordoff and Robbins for the first time on Friday! Not got yours? Shop the Third Kit Range HERE.

Tickets for Friday’s trip to Huddersfield are still available to buy online via Huddersfield HERE and selecting ‘Magic Rock Stand’. Tickets bought online will need to be collect at Huddersfield or accessed as an e-ticket. A limited number of Coach and Match tickets remain on sale at the Robin Park Arena Club Store.