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* 21-player squad announced for Friday’s Betfred Super League Round 9 clash against Hull KR, in association with Matrix Fitness.

* Matt Peet has made one change as Ethan Havard returns from a long-term injury.

* Hull KR v Wigan Warriors, Friday 26 April, 8pm K.O.

MATT PEET HAS SELECTED HIS 21-PLAYER SQUAD FOR FRIDAY NIGHT’S BETFRED SUPER LEAGUE ROUND 9 CLASH AGAINST HULL KR AT SEWELL GROUP CRAVEN PARK.

The Warriors head coach has made one change to the 21-player squad he named for Wigan’s Round 8 win over the Castleford Tigers last time out, as Ethan Havard returns from a long-term injury to replace Jacob Douglas.

Wigan squad for Hull KR:

1 Jai Field
2 Abbas Miski
3 Adam Keighran
4 Jake Wardle
5 Liam Marshall
6 Bevan French
7 Harry Smith
8 Ethan Havard
9 Brad O’Neill
12 Liam Farrell
13 Kaide Ellis
14 Mike Cooper
15 Patrick Mago
16 Like Thompson
17 Kruise Leeming
19 Tyler Dupree
20 Harvie Hill
21 Junior Nsemba
23 Ryan Hampshire
24 Tiaki Chan
26 Zack Eckersley

https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/04/ ... ull-kr-r9/

Very happy indeed to see Ethan’s name there. Hope he is now 100%. Having had hamstring issues myself for years, he has my sympathy, but I assume there are loads of strength building exercises and stretch regimes he can do to mitigate the risk. Everything crossed he gets a good run of games and we see him develop in cherry and white.

Great to see Ethan back in the squad. Even though our pack has been strong this season, we're not at our best without Ethan playing. Has anybody heard an up to date verdict on Walters? I was under the impression that he was hoping to be back this weekend following a scan on Monday.

southportcdm wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2024 1:14 pm Great to see Ethan back in the squad. Even though our pack has been strong this season, we're not at our best without Ethan playing. Has anybody heard an up to date verdict on Walters? I was under the impression that he was hoping to be back this weekend following a scan on Monday.

Hudds away in 2 weeks

Jai Field provides boost for Hull KR trip as Matt Peet gives injury insight

Wigan Warriors will welcome back Jai Field and Brad O’Neill for the upcoming clash against Hull KR, while Ethan Havard has also been included in their 21-man squad for the first time this season.

Full-back Field was rested for the recent fixture against Castleford Tigers at the DW Stadium, with Bevan French moved to full-back and Ryan Hampshire called up into the first-team at stand-off.

Peet explained post-match that the decision was to allow the 26-year-old to nurse an ongoing issue, but he will return for Friday’s trip to Craven Park.

"Jai will play. He just had a tight quad, not a pulled one. He just had a bit of tightness coming out of games,” Peet explained.

“That meant that he couldn’t always train, so when we’ve had opportunities to rest him, we’ve taken them and he’s pretty much overcome them now.

“I guess you never know (whether he’ll need more breaks this season), but we’ll monitor it.

"He feels great at the moment and he’s trained excellently this week."

Starting hooker Brad O’Neill is expected to make his return after being handed a well deserved rest against Craig Lingard’s Tigers.


Meanwhile, England international prop Havard has also been included in the squad for the first time this season, with Peet admitting once he ticks all the boxes physically, the 23-year-old will play.

Havard has not featured since reinjuring his hamstring during last year’s Grand Final, forcing him from the field at Old Trafford.

Previewing the Round 9 clash against the Robins, Peet is expecting a tough clash against a side who will be looking to bounce back from their recent 36-6 defeat to Catalans Dragons in the south of France.

The Warriors head coach continued: “Hull KR are genuine challengers when it comes to trophies these days.

"Last year they were a finals team, a semi-finals team, and that comes back to the ambition and the optimism around the club off the field; the way they recruit, the way Willie Peters coaches his team.

"It’s a fantastic challenge that we have ahead of us and we have a lot of admiration around what Hull KR are doing.”


https://www.wigantoday.net/sport/rugby- ... ht-4602258

I'm not sure if this will be the match thread for tonight but, how does everyone see it going or what are you hoping to see differently from the Cas match last week?

I expect we will be more focussed from minute 1, and for our combinations to be much better. HKR is a very difficult place to go, especially in this era when they have packed crowds every week, and I think we will respond well to the more highly charged atmosphere. They come into this off the back of a bad loss, and so will respond. However, Cats showed how to beat them, and we will learn from that. One unknown factor will be how the shadow of the - much more important - forthcoming semi final might give this the flavour of a phoney war, in which both sides pull their punches.

We have the players to win this, and I expect us to do so.

Thanks, Exiled Wiganer. I agree with it being a tough place to go and I hope you're right about being at it from the first minute!

There will be victory!

I think the HKR result in France will make tonight all the harder for us. They’ll want to bounce back and we’ll need to be fully focussed to get the win. The side looks as strong as it’s been all year, so as long as we are switched on, we’ve got enough to win the game.

The ref not caving in to the HKR fans mind numbingly boring moaning would help matters! We need to be squeaky clean with our discipline.