Iain Thornley says Wigan Warriors' full focus is on winning their Super League games ahead of the Challenge Cup final

Iain Thornley says Wigan Warriors’ main focus has to be winning their Super League games before turning their attention back to the Challenge Cup final at the end of the month.
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Matty Peet’s side take on Huddersfield Giants at the John Smith’s Stadium on Thursday night, with a number of young players coming into the squad.

Thornley states the Warriors can use the game as an opportunity to learn more about the team they will face at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 28.

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He said: “There will be some players who aren’t there who can do some special things, but the main structures they have throughout their club will be very similar.

Iain Thornley is looking forward to an exciting few weeks for Wigan WarriorsIain Thornley is looking forward to an exciting few weeks for Wigan Warriors
Iain Thornley is looking forward to an exciting few weeks for Wigan Warriors

“It probably puts you in a good position to have a look at what you could get in the final. It’s going to be difficult but you’ll get a grasp of what they want to do.

“I prefer there being a short space of time between the semis and the final, I’m looking forward to it.

“We’ve got these two league games and that’s we’ve got to focus on. It needs to be in the back of our minds that we’ve got points to get, then it’ll be back on to the Challenge Cup.

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“The young boys coming into the squad still have a lot of senior boys around, we’ve had a good training session today and they didn’t look out of place.

“That’s what Matty (Peet) and the coaching staff want, no matter who comes in, they know their roles from pre-season. They will have some nerves but we’ll give them that little bit of encouragement.

“They have to be given their opportunity at some point, so it’s good to see. I bet it’s quite nice for the fans as well. That’s just how it is in Wigan because it’s such a hotbed of rugby league, it’s great for the club.”

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Thornley says only a few years he was getting ready for the next stage of his life, before returning to Super League with Leigh, and then his subsequent move to the Warriors.

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“I was probably preparing for life after rugby until this opportunity came to join Wigan,” he added.

“Before last year with Leigh, I had been part time and doing an electrical apprenticeship, making sure I had something behind me. I hadn’t given up, but I was trying to put some other things first in my life, because rugby isn’t forever.

“I just thought it was time to start focusing on that, my brother did it throughout his career. I’m glad that I did because it’s pretty much done, and now I’m back in the top flight I can just concentrate on rugby knowing that I’m alright for life after.

“I originally signed here when I was 11-years-old and came through the scholarship, then the academy. After a spell away, I then had four years here, including when we did the double in 2013. All my family and friends are spectators and fans.”