A detailed look at prospective new Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet

[josie andrews]

The current assistant coach is being linked with the main role.

Wigan Warriors are on the lookout for a new coach after it was confirmed that Adrian Lam would leave at the end of the season.

One strong contender is understood to be Matt Peet, the current Warriors assistant coach.

Owner Ian Lenagan, throughout his time as a sports club owner, has made a habit of promoting from within. He did, after all, hire Shaun Wane after he spent time working his way through the ranks of the Warriors set up. It's fair to say that was a successful appointment.

Peet could now be the next internal successor to be appointed by Lenagan, with a growing belief building that he will be at the helm by the time 2022 comes around.

Given Peet has never been a first-team head coach, he would enter as a relative unknown.

So here's some info about Wigan's next potential head coach.

The basics

Matty Peet is the current assistant coach of Wigan Warriors, a role he is been since midway through 2019.

Peet has spent around 13 years at the club.

He started his coaching career in the amateur game with Westhoughton and St Pats, but eventually made the move to the Warriors in 2008.

His history with Wigan

His first role was as a scholarship coach, which he took midway through 2008.

Ever since he has steadily climbed the ranks within the club, a path trod by three-time Grand Final winning coach Shaun Wane.

Just over a year after his arrival he was named the club's Under 20s assistant head coach, a role he combined with as the club's Education Department Head Coach, which saw him teach some of the club's future stars what it took to prepare and train correctly to maximise performance.

His first head coach role soon followed, being appointed the under 18s head coach in September 2011. Among the players under his watchful eye during that time were Ryan Sutton and Oliver Gildart, who will both play in the NRL next year, George Williams, Lewis Tierney and Connor Farrell.

His rise soon continued and in 2012 he was appointed as the club's performance coach, a role that went alongside a new occupation as head of youth performance in 2013.

Put simply, Peet was in charge of overseeing the club's academy and junior programmes. Of course, the Warriors' production line has been vibrant throughout that period and produced countless players for both the Warriors first team and the rest of the game.

The club's academy side also enjoyed incredible success during his time at the helm. In seven seasons between 2013 and 2019, the Warriors under 19s won the competition an astonishing six times.

As a result, he is widely regarded as one of the best youth coaches in the game.

During this period, Peet was appointed as the England Academy Assistant Coach in 2014, a role he remained in for three years.

The departure

In 2018, Peet departed the club and crossed codes. He joined Sale Sharks as the club's head of performance, a senior role at one of the country's biggest rugby union clubs.

However, he wouldn't be away long.

The return

Peet returned in 2019 as first team assistant, a role he remains in today. He is thought to be the lead defence coach and has been praised by players for his efforts.

Alongside that role, Peet is understood to remain active in the youth setup.

Head coaching future

Since his return, Peet has been linked with several vacancies. Salford Red Devils are thought to have been an admirer of his during their selection process for a new head coach while he was also quietly linked with the Warrington Wolves role.

It appears now, however, that it will be at Wigan where he takes the hot seat.

Is the deal done?

Back in June, we reported that Peet was set to take a more prominent coaching role with the Warriors first team once Adrian Lam departed. With that now confirmed, it would appear Peet is being groomed to take that position.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk ... dium=email

[Southern Softy]

I don't have any problem with promoting from within but Wane had McGuire to learn from as Head Coach and Peet has had Lam. Also, our inability to stop opposition hookers careering down the middle of the defence and the number of soft tries that we have conceded on our goal-line, doesn't say a great deal for his reign as defence coach.

[Barney841]

Is this topic supposed to fill us full of excitement?

[Exiled Wiganer]

No, not excitement, rather it is letting us know who he is and what he has been up to. I think our defence has been very good. Clearly whoever has been coaching the attack is incompetent, and it’s the attack that will have to improve to get us excited…

[jaws1]

Did not last long at Sale unlike Deacon not a good advert for him.

[CheshireWarrior]

Initially, I thought Peet was simply a cheap and relatively easy appointment. I agree, the above article is basically a coaching CV and is needed because I suppose to many he is unknown.

It's a tough one because our previous appointments of assistant head coaches have proved very successful......let's face each one has win atleast one piece of silverware!

If the problems in the club are associated to the current mangament and coaching staff, Peet as head coach makes me wonder. I agree that both Maguire and Wane learned from Bellamy and Maguire well.

The reality is (as it was before appointing Lam), there are established and successful coaches on the market, if it is Peet, we have to have faith the club know what they doing and his appointment has been well thought through!

[fozzieskem]

In the short time he was at sale I will say the defence fell apart it improved no end once he returned just a shame the attack didn’t shape up the same way.

Let’s be honest he’s going to be head coach so we may as well accept it and wish him well he may surprise us let’s be honest about it

[Caboosegg]

In the short time he was at sale I will say the defence fell apart it improved no end once he returned just a shame the attack didn’t shape up the same way.

Let’s be honest he’s going to be head coach so we may as well accept it and wish him well he may surprise us let’s be honest about it

But according to that article he wasn't defence coach at sale,

[morley pie eater]

First, thanks for posting this, Josie. Here on the wrong side of the Pennines it's easy to miss updates like this.

Second, Caboose - I think Fozzie means Wigan's defence fell apart when Peet was at Sale?

Last, does anyone know if he left Sale cos we wanted him back, or did Sale "let him go"?

[nathan_rugby]

In the short time he was at sale I will say the defence fell apart it improved no end once he returned just a shame the attack didn’t shape up the same way.

Let’s be honest he’s going to be head coach so we may as well accept it and wish him well he may surprise us let’s be honest about it

But according to that article he wasn't defence coach at sale,

That's irrelevant.

Fozzie is saying OUR defence fell apart when he went to Sale and improved when he came back...