Peet previews Hull FC (Pre-Season)
- Matt Peet will be looking to field his ‘strongest team’ in Sunday’s friendly against Hull FC.
- Peet: “We will start the game with what I perceive to be our strongest team before we make some interchanges which will best prepare the 17 for Castleford.”
- Hull FC v Wigan Warriors, Sunday 4 February, MKM Stadium, 2pm K.O.
Matt Peet will be looking to field his ‘strongest team’ in Sunday’s pre-season friendly against Hull FC at the MKM Stadium.
The Warriors head coach has named a 22-player squad to face their Super League opponents in Scott Taylor’s testimonial game this weekend, which includes seven players who are yet to feature this pre-season.
Speaking on his selected squad, Peet said: “We will start the game with what I perceive to be our strongest team before we make some interchanges which will best prepare the 17 for Castleford.
“Some of the extra players in the squad are there to provide depth as some players might only play 60 to 65 minutes. Although it looks a big squad, it will be approached with Castleford in mind.”
The Warriors travel to the MKM Stadium to face Hull FC in Scott Taylor’s testimonial match. The forward, who announced his retirement from the game in September, won the Challenge Cup and Super League Grand Final during his time at the DW Stadium.
Looking ahead to the clash, Peet said: “Although it is a serious game and one that we want to perform in, it’s a pleasure for us to pay tribute to Scott on Sunday. He spent some time here where he played the game very tough and I’m sure both set of supporters will get behind him.”
The friendly against Hull FC will be the Warriors’ third run out of pre-season after a Reserves and Academy side faced Midlands Hurricanes, before a number of First Team players played minutes against Wakefield Trinity in a fixture that was cut short due to repeated floodlight failure.
Assistant coaches Sean O’Loughlin and Tommy Leuluai took charge of the Warriors at Wakefield, which enabled Peet to assess individuals more closely from the stands.
Talking through the friendly against Trinity, Peet said: “We knew it was going to be a night for them testing things out, but for us as an organisation we were able to experience the new facilities and the vibrancy around the Club.
“[The friendly] It allowed Tommy and Lockers to concentrate on giving their messages throughout, as well as experiencing giving the pre-match and half time team talk which is something I was trusted to do when coming through as a coach. It was a good exercise and challenge for them, and I thought they did a good job.”
Reflecting on pre-season as a whole, Peet said: “I feel like we’ve achieved what we set out to do. When you look back at our planning at the start for the team and for each individuals, we’ve hit that.
“From a coaching and performance team perspective pre-season is a really focused time to get work done without the interference of games or injuries and suspensions. It doesn’t mean you are going to have a great season, but it can certainly prepare you for one.”
Watch the full match preview with Matt Peet on Wigan TV HERE.
