Wigan Warriors debrief: Jai Field red-hot form, Abbas Miski update, plans for next week
From left to right: Jai Field, Matt Peet and Abbas Miski of Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors coach Matt Peet met with the media in his post-match press conference after they clinched the League Leaders’ Shield thanks to a 68-0 win over well-rotated Salford Red Devils side.
Peet was asked about Jai Field’s red-hot form, Abbas Miski’s minor injury, Harry Smith’s impressive form upon his return from suspension and their plans for next week with the team having no game until the semi-finals the week after.
Here’s the review and rundown of everything that Peet said in the Warriors debrief.
Jai Field’s red-hot form
“He was all over the place tonight wasn’t he? He made some good kick returns, set a few up tries and I think he could have had a few more because he gets himself in the picture.
“We’ve got some good support players at the moment in Bev (French), Jai and Kruise (Leeming), so I think we look dangerous once we poke our nose through and get some ruck speed, then we’ve got some lads who can finish.”
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Abbas Miski’s absence against Salford explained
“He’s fine, he has a bit of a crunchy knee at the moment. I think all year it has just been a case of managing it, so he’ll be back for the semi.”
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New dad Harry Smith has been impressive upon returning from his suspension
“Harry and his partner Chloe welcomed their baby the other day and he’s been brilliant this week. He’s not missed much in terms of training, he’s come in with a smile on his face, you can tell they are super proud and they are a big family who are ingrained in the club. He’s obviously been here a very long time and he means a lot to us and you’ll see after the game today that the families are heavily involved, the kids love spending time with one another and I feel privileged to be a part of it.
“I was confident the rest (during his suspension) would do him good. I didn’t like the way it came about, he’s got to learn from that, but it was probably a welcome rest for him. He’s played a lot of rugby, a lot of big games, he carries his team in some ways with his kicking game, and I think we were all confident he’d come back in a fresher version.”
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Plans for next week with no game until the semi-finals
“We’ve got a camp (next week), so we’ll train Monday and Tuesday and then we’re going away in this country for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, so we’re working hard and then we’ll get the next weekend off.
“We have to train smart but get some hard work done. I do feel that’s one thing I got wrong in my first season, I think we probably concentrated on recovery too much in that week off going into the semi against Leeds. Last year we trained a bit harder but obviously you’ve got to get the balance right so we’ll be going away for a camp for a few days.”
