Peet previews Castleford
- Matt Peet looks ahead to Saturday’s opening Super League fixture against Castleford Tigers at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle.
- Peet: “It’s a proper rugby league ground with a great atmosphere which should make a full-blooded Super League game – it will be great to watch.”
- Watch the full Castleford Tigers preview with Matt Peet on Wigan TV HERE.
Matt Peet looks ahead to Wigan Warriors’ opening super league fixture against castleford tigers.
Speaking ahead of the match, the Warriors Head Coach said: “We’re all excited. It will be a challenge as there will be a lot of optimism around the ground with it being Round 1. Castleford are going to come out firing and energised, and it’s a proper rugby league ground with a great atmosphere which should make a full-blooded Super League game – it will be great to watch.”
Peet has named three new signings in his 21-player squad, which also includes Mike Cooper who returned from a long-term knee injury in last weekend’s Reserves win over Huddersfield Giants at Wigan Rugby Union Club.
Speaking on the prop forward, Peet said: “Coops [Mike Cooper] will play off the bench. I was there at the Reserves game and he was excellent. It wasn’t the ideal game for some of our senior lads – Abbas Miski and Liam Marshall – to come back to but I was impressed with the attitude they showed.”
Despite the fixture coming a week before the Betfred World Club Challenge clash against Penrith Panthers at the DW Stadium, Peet outlined the importance of the game against the Tigers: “We’ve spoken more about not getting Round 1 right last year than looking ahead to Penrith. We’ve got an exciting fixture and event on the horizon but it would be really poor of us to overlook this one – we have to nail this performance.”
Peet added: “We just want to progress and get the job done this weekend with a performance that we can build on.”
History will be made on Saturday evening as the Warriors and Castleford play out the first Super League fixture live on the BBC. Speaking on the new three-year broadcasting deal, Peet said: “As players and coaches we have a responsibility every time we take to the field to present the game, and on Saturday will be looking to do our bit and add to what will already be a great occasion.
“We will be looking to show the best of us whilst Castleford will be looking to show the best of them. It’s fantastic how much positivity is around the game at the moment – not just the BBC deal but the international ones as well.”
When asked about defending the Super League title, Peet said: “When you are at Wigan there is always the case of having a target on your back. There is certainly an energy and appetite, but our mantra here is to get better and improve. Our focus is more on building strong habits and connections on a daily basis.”
Liam Byrne has also spoken ahead of the trip to West Yorkshire, which is available to read HERE.
