Wigan Warriors boss Matt Peet’s classy words to Joe Shorrocks ahead of Salford clash

Wigan head coach Matt Peet has paid a classy tribute to academy product Joe Shorrocks ahead of his first reunion with the club on the field tonight when the Warriors travel to face Salford Red Devils.

Billinge-born Shorrocks came through the youth ranks with his hometown club, and having debuted in April 2019, would go on to make 75 appearances for the Cherry & Whites at senior level.

Included in that tally are the 18 games he played for Peet’s side last year as they lifted the Super League title for the first time in five years, acting as the unused 18th man in the last three games of 2023 including the Grand Final triumph against Catalans Dragons.

The 24-year-old plugged gaps at times throughout last season, a valuable member of the squad, but left for Salford in the off-season in search of more regular game time, penning a long-term three-year deal.

That’s exactly what he’s got so far, featuring in all four games played by the Red Devils at loose, playing a key role in their early-season success.

And those across the North West back at the Warriors couldn’t be happier for him, as boss Peet detailed.

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Wigan Warriors boss Matt Peet’s classy words to Joe Shorrocks ahead of Salford Red Devils clash

Shorrocks will face Wigan for the very first time in his career tonight in the two clubs’ Round 5 clash at the Salford Stadium.

Wigan boss Peet lauded his former starlet in his pre-match press conference.

Paying a classy tribute, and referencing others to have made the same move, he said: “When you let these players go, you always know that you’re letting good players go – Oli Partington was the same, so was Amir (Bourouh).

“It’s not that you’re letting them go because they’re not good enough, you just can’t possibly keep everybody and sadly some decisions have to be made.

“Joe Shorrocks is one of those where when we were in the discussions, we knew he would go on to be a leading loose forward in the competition.

“We’ve got loads of respect for Joe, and when I say loads of respect, he’s got loads of admirers here who have worked really closely with him.”

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‘We owe him a lot as a club… I’m really proud of him’

Also a Wiganer with a long-lasting connection to the club, Peet had a hand in Shorrocks’ development during his time in Wigan’s academy as well as the coaching input he had when the forward reached first-team level.

The talk is often about what players owe clubs for getting them to the top, particularly when it’s a club as successful as the Warriors, but Peet reversed those cards as he continued his praise, adding: “We know how competitive he is, we know how skilful he is and we know what a good lad he is.

“We wish him all the best, and we owe him a lot as a club. The fact that we got to contest a World Club Challenge a few weeks ago and we’ve got the trophies in the cabinet, it’s partly down to the players like Joe, Sam Powell, Toby King, Cade Cust and all of these lads.

“They played last year, we talk about it a lot. Joe remains a good mate of ours, he was here with us after the World Club Challenge and I love seeing him around. I’m really proud of him.”

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