Betfred Super League: Wigan Warriors ready to peak in play-offs – Peet

Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet says he is confident that his side can peak at the right time as they look to end a trophyless 2025 season by winning the Betfred Super League Grand Final on October 11.

Having been knocked out of the Betfred Challenge Cup by Hull FC and finished the regular season in second place behind League Leaders Shield winners Hull KR, Peet’s side are the 11/10 favourites to be crowned champions at Old Trafford.

Speaking to The Last Tackle, Peet explained that their reputation for finding form at the back end of the campaign hasn’t come by accident.

“I get asked about it a lot and we don’t plan for times in the year for people to be injured, that’s for sure,” he told The Sportsman Rugby League’s weekly YouTube magazine show.

“But I do think we’re good at holding a few things back during the year and timing our momentum, the intensifying of our training and knowing when to pull back on the lads.

“The fact is that there’s times in the year when we train really hard and maybe that affects performances, but we feel that this pays us back in the long run.”

Wigan finished two points behind Hull KR, who the Warriors beat 9-2 in last year’s Grand Final thanks to Bevan French’s magical try which turned out to be the only four-pointer of the game.

And Peet says that French’s recent return from injury makes a big difference to how the Warriors play alongside scrum-half Harry Smith and full-back Jai Field.

“He’s playing very well, he’s a big part of what we do and I think it’s the chemistry he has with Harry and Jai, our gameplan is built around having them three players.

“A lot of the way we play and how we’ve built our game over the last three seasons, it’s at its best when those three are in those positions.

“Bevan’s a great talent, but he’s also an important leader for us as well and sets the tone for a lot of what we do, like Harry and Jai.”

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Peet led Wigan to all three domestic trophies last season, and it’s an achievement Hull KR are looking to emulate having already lifted the Challenge Cup and the regular-season title.

But after earning their first pieces of silverware in 40 years, KR coach Willie Peters says now is not the time for his side to pat themselves on the back.

“There’s no doubt we’ll reflect after the season and think about what we’ve done, but I don’t want to do that as there’s still a lot to play for,” he told The Last Tackle. “There’s a lot of hungry teams and we’ve got to stay hungry and be the team that wants it more than others. I think that’s what it will come down to.

“There’s six really good teams in the play-offs and I believe that the hungriest team, and those that can handle the big occasions, will get the silverware, so we want to chase that. At the end of the season we’ll look back and 2025 will be a special season for us.”

Both the Warriors and the Robins have earned this week off after clinching top-two spots, with the opening round of play-off fixtures pitting the Leigh Leopards against Wakefield Trinity on Friday and Leeds Rhinos against St Helens on Saturday.

The winners of this weekend’s eliminators will then play in the semi-finals, with KR paired with the lowest-ranked qualifier and Wigan facing the remaining victors.

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