Matt Peet makes Liam Marshall England admission as Wigan Warriors winger’s form continues

Wigan boss Matt Peet has lauded in-form star Liam Marshall, but says he knows the Warriors winger faces strong competition to be in Shaun Wane’s England squad at the end of this month.

Marshall is in terrific form this season in particular. He is currently the top try scorer in Super League, with a haul of 15 tries in 12 matches.

He has been a near ever-present in the Warriors side since making his debut back in 2017, though is yet to win his first international cap; but could this be about to change?

“I never really like commenting on the England squad, because Shaun Wane’s got enough people telling him what to do,” said Peet after Wigan’s 10-8 victory over Castleford Tigers.

“Liam has been in the mix before and he’s in good form; but there’s some good wingers in Super League and there’s a few you could mention who would be in the mix.

“I’m really happy with how he’s playing, on both ends of the field. To be a top winger these days, you have to score tries, work hard out of your own end and you have to chase kicks hard. I think Liam does all that and more.”

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Peet reflects on Castleford victory

The experienced winger grabbed himself a brace yesterday against the Fords, however his team had to dig deep to come away with the two points.

Wigan were 8-4 down entering the final quarter, but a Marshall try and a Harry Smith penalty goal eventually secured the win for the defending champions.

“I just think Castleford played really well,” Peet admitted. “They were motivated and energised. You could see they had freshened up last week and trained hard and prepared, they gave us a hell of a game.

He added: “I don’t think last week (Challenge Cup final) comes into it at all. We were prepared, we were ready to go, but it was a challenging game. Character got us over the line.”

Whilst Peet made it clear their Challenge Cup victory, or possible hangover, didn’t factor into their performance, it wasn’t the clinical Wigan we’ve got used to seeing this season.

READ MORE: Wigan Warriors player ratings: 5s and 6s as below-par champions edge Castleford

With Jai Field out of action for the foreseeable, Bevan French shifted back into fullback and Ryan Hampshire came into the halves alongside Harry Smith.

All three struggled to make an impact on the game until the second-half, but Peet stressed the combination will take time to click.

“We’ve not trained much this week, for obvious reasons. The lads will get used to one another, we’ll practise, we’ll have a look on video. I don’t think this time last year Bevan French was playing in the halves, it’s surprising once you get on the training field how you can work and build combinations; and that was a new combination tonight. It’ll get better.”

“These combinations will settle and improve,” he continued. “The fact is we came to a tough place on a tough night, there was a lot going on tonight, but we got the win.”

The Cherry and Whites now prepare for bottom side London Broncos next weekend, but they will be hoping for an improved performance.

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