Wigan Warriors coach Matt Peet believes the club’s emerging talents are ready to play a bigger role in 2026, after impressing throughout another demanding pre-season programme.
Sign up to our Wigan Warriors newsletter
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Notice and Terms of Service apply.
The Warriors have heavily invested in their famed homegrown pathway for years now, and that is no different as we enter 2026, with the club having promoted highly-rated youngsters Finlay Yeomans and George O’Loughlin into the first-team squad, adding to the quintet who were promoted last year in the form of Noah Hodkinson, Taylor Kerr, Nathan Lowe, Lukas Mason and Kian McDermott.
Matt Peet applauds the Wigan Warriors fans in Las Vegasplaceholder image
Matt Peet applauds the Wigan Warriors fans in Las Vegas
The younger members of Wigan’s first-team have been putting in the hard yards in pre-season training since mid-November, initially without the senior contingent, and Peet feels that early exposure is paying off.
The Warriors boss says he is expecting them to feature more this year, with the young core of the first-team showing clear physical and mental development as they tackle another pre-season, and another year as full-time professionals.
“The fact is, we brought a group of young players into the first-team last year a bit earlier than we normally do,” Peet said.
“They now look like men. They are into their second pre-season now, older, they are 19 or 20 years old, and a lot of them have played out on loan.”
For Peet, the response underlines the club’s long-term strategy of blending youth development with first-team success.
And as the new Super League season approaches, Wigan’s next generation of talent looks set not just to provide depth, but to make a genuine impact as the campaign unfolds.
“The physical work they’ve done over the last couple of pre-seasons is paying dividends,” Peet added.
“I’m expecting them to feature much more this year, and we’re going to need them. They are an important part of what we do, and they’ve added to training.
“I must say, across the board, I’ve been impressed with their commitment. We’ve put an emphasis on the gym and adding some physicality to what we do, and their response has been really clear, and I’m made up with it.”
Wigan’s first competitive game of 2026 will come in the third round of the Challenge Cup over the weekend of February 6-8, with the Super League season getting underway the following week.
Be the first to comment