Matt Peet makes passionate rugby league admission as he makes history by scooping individual award

Ben Olawumi
Matt Peet

Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet pictured ahead of the 2024 Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford

Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet says he’s happy to be leading the charge for rugby league to gain wider recognition after becoming the first-ever representative of the sport to win the Sports Journalists’ Association’s Committee Award.

Peet led the Cherry and Whites to all four major honours on offer in 2024 – winning the World Club Challenge and going on to lift both the Challenge Cup and Super League Leaders’ Shield before reigning supreme against Hull KR in October’s Grand Final.

Having also won both the League Leaders’ Shield and Grand Final – against Catalans Dragons – in 2023, it means that Wigan have now won all six of the last major honours available to them.

And with pre-season ahead of the upcoming 2025 campaign about to begin, Peet – who missed out being named Super League’s Coach of the Year – received some individual recognition on Wednesday morning as he received the SJA Committee Award.

LRL RECOMMENDS: Super League’s all-time top 10 coaches ranked by win percentage, including Wigan Warriors icons

Matt Peet makes passionate rugby league admission as he makes history by scooping individual award

The 40-year-old becomes just the second-ever rugby league recipient of any award from the SJA, which was founded back in 1948.

England’s wheelchair team were the sport’s only previous recipients of any award from the association, sharing The Bill McGowran Trophy – for athletes with impairment – with swimming’s Maisie Summers-Newton and tennis’ Alfie Hewett back in 2022.

Receiving the award live on Sky Sports News, Peet said: “It makes me very proud, I’m very grateful to be selected by the committee.

“I think it reflects really well on our organisation, on our club and I think it reflects well on rugby league and on our competition.

“It’s not an award that rugby league is synonymous with, so to know that our sport’s getting some recognition, it makes me very proud to be at the forefront of it.”

2024 is the 16th year which has seen the SJA Committee Award handed out, with figures from numerous sporting backgrounds receiving the accolade previously, but never before has rugby league had a winner.

The full list of recipients can be seen below, with the accolade shared in numerous years, including in 2021 when husband and wife duo Jason and Laura Kenny were the winners for their efforts in cycling.

  • 2006 – Marcus Tregoning (Horse Racing)
  • 2007 – Vic Akers and Arsenal Ladies FC
  • 2008 – Dorothy Tyler (Athletics)
  • 2009 – British Gymnastics
  • 2010 – Emma Pooley (Cycling)
  • 2011 – Sarah Stevenson (Taekwondo)
  • 2012 – Not awarded
  • 2013 – Nick Matthew (Squash)
  • 2014 – Claudia Fragapane (Gymnastics)
  • 2015 – Alex Danson (Hockey)
  • 2016 – Max Whitlock (Gymnastics)
  • 2017 – Danny and Nicky Cowley (Football)
  • 2018 – Not awarded
  • 2019 – John Gosden (Horse Racing)
  • 2020 – Not awarded because of COVID-19 Pandemic
  • 2021 – Jason and Laura Kenny (Cycling)
  • 2022 – Eilish McColgan (Athletics)
  • 2023 – Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Athletics)
  • 2024 – Matt Peet (Rugby League)

LRL RECOMMENDS: Wigan Warriors dealt World Club Challenge blow after key Penrith Panthers decision

Rugby League News Matt Peet

Related Articles