Ethan Havard reviews Wigan Warriors defeat with progress points and improvement areas identified
Ethan Havard believes Wigan Warriors ‘are not a million miles away’ from getting back to where they want to be, despite going down to a fourth straight Super League defeat against Warrington Wolves.
The Cherry and Whites were beaten 23-6 at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Friday night, extending a difficult run that has also seen losses to Huddersfield Giants, St Helens and Castleford Tigers, either side of a Challenge Cup quarter-final victory over Wakefield Trinity.
Wigan’s task was made harder by an early injury to winger Liam Marshall, whose hamstring problem forced head coach Matt Peet into a reshuffle, leaving several players playing out of position.
Despite the setback, Havard felt there were encouraging signs compared to recent performances, particularly in terms of effort and attitude, but admitted indiscipline continues to undermine their progress.
“I think it was a step in the right direction, especially with our effort and intensity in periods,” Havard told Wigan Today. “I just think we’re probably killing ourselves with penalties and errors at the minute.
“When you’ve got a depleted side, it makes it tough, but it’s something we need to learn from. The momentum, when you’re making extra tackles, it’s harder to put things together in attack.
“We made a few sloppy errors, which let them off the hook in the first half, which was frustrating.”
The Warriors showed glimpses of promise despite the disruption, something Havard believes provides a platform to build on.
“We wanted to look like a group of mates playing, and I think we got that tonight,” he said. “But again, we hurt ourselves with errors and penalties. It’s still a step in the right direction.
“We’re not a million miles away. Losing Marshy throws the game plan off, and you’ve got lads in different positions, but I thought we dug in. We’ll do the same against Bradford next week.”
Friday’s contest also carried a personal subplot for Havard, who lined up against former teammate and close pal Liam Byrne following his off-season move to Warrington.
“It was a bit funny playing against my old mate Byrney,” he said. “We’ve been best mates since the academy, so it was a bit strange.
“He’s a good guy and seems to be enjoying it at Warrington. I’m proud of him and happy for him.”