Match Preview: Wakefield (Pre-Season)

[josie andrews]

In association with Davanti Tyres, here is everything you need to know ahead of Friday’s pre-season friendly against Wakefield Trinity.

The Warriors travel to Belle Vue on Friday night (8pm K.O.) to take on the Championship side in Matty Ashurst’s Testimonial.

Squad News

The Warriors have selected a 22-player squad for the fixture, which includes a mix of First Team and Reserves players.

Six of the Warriors’ new signings have been named in the squad alongside seven teenagers.

Wigan squad for Wakefield:

Liam Byrne
T Chan
J Douglas
T Dupree
Z Eckersley
S Eseh JR
J Farrimond
T Forber
R Hampshire
H Hill
N Hopkinson
M Jeffrey
K Leeming
N Lowe
P Mago
G O’Loughlin
B O’Neil
R Sumner
L Thompson
S Walters
J Wardle

Opposition

Dual-registration partners Wakefield Trinity have also named a strong 19-player squad for the friendly, which includes former Warrior Iain Thornley.

AshurstTestimonial

1 Max Jowitt
2 Jermaine McGillvary
3 Oli Pratt
4 Iain Thornley
5 Lachlan Walmsley
7 Mason Lino
8 Josh Bowden
9 Liam Hood
10 Renouf Atoni
11 Matty Ashurst
12 Josh Griffin
13 Jay Pitts
15 Caleb Uele
16 Mathieu Cozza
20 Tony Boothroyd
21 Thomas Doyle
22 Jack Croft
23 Romain Franco
24 Miles Lawford


Coaches Quotes

Assistant coaches Sean O’Loughlin and Tommy Leuluai will take charge of the fixture to provide Matt Peet with the opportunity to take a closer look at players from the stands.

Speaking ahead of the clash, O’Loughlin said: “It’s a great experience to have the reigns handed over to us and to head up a gameday, but it also gives Matty the opportunity to sit back and watch the game more clearly.

“Matty will be able to see who impresses without having his coaches hat on, whilst ultimately it’s an opportunity for Tommy and myself to learn.”

Read the full interview with Sean O’Loughlin HERE. https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/01/ ... wakefield/

Player Preview

Jake Wardle has expressed his excitement on returning to the field for the first time since he received the Harry Sunderland Trophy for his Man of the Match performance in the Super League Grand Final.

Wardle said: “I’m excited to be back playing. I’m also looking forward to getting out there with a mix of players and I know everyone else is really keen as well.”

Read the full preview with Jake Wardle HERE. https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/01/ ... o-be-back/

Tickets

The Warriors have been allocated tickets in the West Paddock at Belle Vue, which are priced at £5 for adults and £1 for juniors (16 and under).

Tickets are still available to purchase in-store from our Robin Park Arena Club Store until 3pm. Supporters will also be able to buy tickets on the gate at Belle Vue this evening.

Please note that tickets are no longer available to purchase online. Any tickets bought online after 12pm on Monday 22 January must be collected from the Robin Park Arena Club Store.

Stadium Information

Parking

Please note that there will be NO parking available on the day due to all spaces being allocated. There will also be NO drop offs allowed in the stadium car park.

Happy Hour

From 6pm-8pm in every bar around the ground, Wigan supporters will be able to make use of a Happy Hour offer meaning you can get your beverages at a cheaper price.

Cashless Stadium

Belle Vue will be cashless, except in Rollin Shack and Fox’s Bar, and we will only accept card payments (Google Pay and Apple Pay also accepted).

Kit Check

The Warriors will play in their new Kappa away jersey for the first time on Friday night.

Supporters can purchase any of our 2024 kits online HERE or from our Robin Park Arena Club Store (open 10am-4pm, Mon-Friday).

Match Officials

The man in the middle for Friday’s friendly will be Chris Kendall.

How to Follow

You can watch the game live on Wigan TV, with a monthly subscription giving you the live stream of the game and a full month’s access to our fantastic Warriors match archive for just £5.99.

A subscription for Wigan TV is required and we advise those who are planning to sign-up to Wigan TV to do so as soon as possible before the game, as any last minute issues may not be able to be rectified.

Social Media:

As an alternative to following the game, Wigan fans can keep up-to-date with every piece of the action via our social media channels and website:

Twitter (@WiganWarriorsRL) – live game updates and reaction at the final hooter.
Instagram (@wiganwarriorsrl) – behind-the-scenes action, both before and after kick-off.
Facebook (Wigan Warriors) – live matchday information and reaction.
Website (www.wiganwarriors.com) – post-match reaction including match report, and head coach and players reaction.

https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/01/ ... re-season/

[Wiganer Ted]

I don't think any of us expected an ending like that!

Wakey deserved their 22-12 lead.
We looked good at times then basic errors let us down.
That's what warm up games are for though!

[NICKYKISS]

Still unbeaten in pre season

Wakefield looked strong. We looked rusty and error prone but like Ted says, that’s what the games are there for. Walters a big positive for us.

[widdenoldboy]

Wakefield were oven ready and McGilvary can still finish a move. Walters a plus, Sumner was efficient but not quite ready yet but quietly impressive.

[josie andrews]

It was bloody freezing when we got there with a chilly wind.

Anyway, we were the first Wiganers to get there & I must congratulate the Wakefield stewards first & foremost. They were very polite & helpful.

I commented to them how good the new stand & car park looked. They then, when the gates opened, let me & my "away buddy" enter via the new stand. Showed us to the seating area & said sit where you like. Told them we were in the Western Terrace but they insisted .

So sat 2nd row from the front, the stadium holds just over 3000. As it filled up Faz came with his boy & sat behind us. Then along came Miski, Field, French & Isa

New stand, it had to have teething problems, but with the flood lights keep going out, it was bound eventually to be abandoned. ( We blamed it on the charging stations for electric cars on the car park ) oh & the Pontins block of flats, their lights never went out!

Anyway, not a good enough run out for our lads. Another fairly young squad, with senior players just having a bit part except for Mago & Ellis who had a 20 minute stint & then obviously around 10 minutes in the 2nd half

Mago & Ellis both look fit & lean. Farrimond played well again, but for me Sam Walter’s was the best player tonight, he’s fighting hard for that second row spot!

Fair play to them, even when the game was abandoned, our players stayed on the pitch doing training drills etc.

Hull FC next Sunday & then a week before the season starts with another Yorkshire trip to Castleford.

PS As per usual getting there wasn’t too bad, but on the return home journey the M62 was back to normal, with roadworks, lane closures, single lanes & speed restrictions near enough on & off all the way home.
Just hope the road works around Loire Drive & Robin Park Arena are completed for the WCC!

[josie andrews]

Floodlights Statement

The club would like to apologise to fans, Wigan Warriors and especially to Matty Ashurst for the issues which saw the match tonight abandoned after just over an hour.

Prior to the game we identified an electrical issue with the new sub station which was installed by contractors. This resulted in the big screen, Brookey’s Bar and Street Kitchen being closed down and switched off in order to try and manage the problem.

Throughout extensive testing in weeks leading up to the game, the club have had multiple successful floodlight tests and have encountered no similar issues.

As the game went on, we realised the issue had not been solved and we continued to attempt to isolate the problem alongside our duty electrician within the ground.

Unfortunately we were unable to solve the problem which led to referee Chris Kendall abandoning the game due to a player safety issue.

The club will now be doing everything in their power to swiftly resolve the issue and guarantee that this issue will never happen again. Plans are already in motion to hire a new electrical team to source a backup generator.

We would like to thank everyone who attended the game tonight in support of Matty Ashurst.

https://wakefieldtrinity.com/floodlights-statement/

[josie andrews]

O’Loughlin: The right call

Assistant coach Sean O’Loughlin has reflected on tonight’s abandoned pre-season friendly against Wakefield Trinity.

After repeated floodlight failure at the DIY Kitchens Stadium, the match was called off after 61 minutes due to player safety.

O’Loughlin: “The referee was doing everything he could not to abandon the game but in that last one blokes running full tilt and the lights go out is dangerous.”

Assistant coach Sean O’Loughlin has reflected on tonight’s abandoned pre-season friendly against Wakefield Trinity.

Referee Chris Kendall made the decision to end the match just after the hour to protect player safety due to repeated floodlight failure at the DIY Kitchens Stadium.

Despite tries from Jacob Douglas and Jack Farrimond, which were converted successfully by Ryan Hampshire, the Warriors trailed 22-12 at the time the match was brought to an end.

Speaking to the press following the match, O’Loughlin said: “It was a strange one. The referee was doing everything he could not to abandon the game but in that last one blokes running full tilt and the lights go out is dangerous – it was definitely the right call.”

When asked about the selected squad for the clash, O’Loughlin said: “There were lots of lads – especially the middles – who wanted to get more minutes in ahead of next week. There were also a individuals who were shy on the minutes we wanted them to play and younger lads on the bench who didn’t get on.

“For the likes of Kruise [Leeming] and Tommo [Luke Thompson] that was their first hit out since September which is a long time without playing a game so tonight was about opening the lungs and getting the body right again.”

Despite missing out on the final 20 minutes, O’Loughlin believes the Warriors remain in a strong position heading into next weekend’s pre-season friendly against Hull FC.

He said: “The lads have been out there now doing more running with a little bit of wrestling to get the contact element in. We have a long week now in the build up to Hull FC so we wont need to cram anything in. For the established lads it was good for them to get a hit out without picking up any injuries.”

Tickets for the Warriors final pre-season friendly against Hull FC at the MKM Stadium on Sunday 4 February can be purchased in-Store at Robin Park Arena (open Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm) and online HERE.

https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/01/ ... ight-call/

[lcharnock2]

Biggest positives for me last night were Byrne, Walters and Thompson to some extent.

Byrne looks to have transformed his physique and looks a lot quicker into contact. Walters looks exactly like what we thought we were getting. Finally, whilst Thompson didn't make as many metres as some would expect, his eagerness in defence plus his leadership was evident. He looks keen to prove himself again.

[endoman]

Sumner at full back looked decent. Walters is a big lad, and got moved to centre during the sin binning.
Be interesting who plays at Hull, expect more of a senior side for that one.

[josie andrews]

Biggest positives for me last night were Byrne, Walters and Thompson to some extent.

Byrne looks to have transformed his physique and looks a lot quicker into contact. Walters looks exactly like what we thought we were getting. Finally, whilst Thompson didn't make as many metres as some would expect, his eagerness in defence plus his leadership was evident. He looks keen to prove himself again.

Byrne looks amazing he was warming up I front of us & that’s what we were saying.