Iain Thornley says Wigan Warriors must keep working hard to give the fans a year to remember

Iain Thornley hopes Wigan Warriors can make their 150th anniversary year a successful one on the field for the fans.
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The centre re-joined the club ahead of this campaign, but picked up an ankle injury in the opening game against Hull KR.

Nonetheless, Thornley has still been enjoying his time back at the DW Stadium and watching his teammates from the sidelines while he was gearing up to return to match action.

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He said: “It’s a massive year for the club and we’ve had a good start, but we have to keep grounded and keep working because even teams who are lower in the league can bite you on the backside. Hopefully we can have a good year, especially for that 150th anniversary.

Iain Thornley is looking forward to getting back in actionIain Thornley is looking forward to getting back in action
Iain Thornley is looking forward to getting back in action

“We’ve had a good few crowds in the early days of the season, so that’s been great. I can’t wait to play my first game back at the DW, but it’s been good what I’ve seen on the sidelines with the fans turning up, which we appreciate massively.

“I’ve been here in the past few years in the away changing rooms, so it’ll be good to walk out with it being my home ground again.”

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Thornley says there is a close connection with the current squad of players at Wigan, and believes it is similar to his last stint in cherry and white, where he played under Shaun Wane between 2012 and 2015, winning the Challenge Cup and the Super League Grand Final.

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“We’ve been encouraged to do a lot of team bonding together, and I’d say the last time I was at the club it was one of the big things we had,” he added.

“There were a lot of lads organising team socials, like having BBQs together or a meal out. We’ve done family events too, and things like that are just as important.

“The good signs are there for the way we’ve been doing that, and performances on the pitch have shown that. We’ve got a tight knit group and we need to keep that up, making the effort of organising things, because it keeps the team spirit up.”

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