Luke Thompson backed for more after exceeding expectations in early Super League rounds

Returning from a failed head injury assessment sustained on his Wigan debut against Castleford Tigers, Thompson made an inspiring 113 metres from 16 carries against Huddersfield Giants at the DW Stadium - the most of any Wigan player.

Liam Marshall was just behind with 108 metres from 12 carries, having both stood-out in the 30-16 round three victory, including a hat-trick for the 27-year-old old winger.

Peet admits that Thompson’s strong performance was ahead of expected schedule, marking only his sixth competitive game across the last 12 months due to a long-term foot injury suffered in the NRL with Canterbury Bulldogs.

“That kind of performance was probably ahead of schedule for Luke,” Peet said, reflecting on the triumph that extended his side’s unbeaten run to 13 games.

“I know he’s capable of it, but I was impressed. I thought he was outstanding, his work rate and the quality of what he did.

“I thought it was a real positive step for Luke.

“I think he’ll want to build on that now.

“He knows where his performance can improve and he looks really determined in the way that he’s training at the moment.”

Fellow forward Tiaki Chan made his competitive debut from the interchange bench against Ian Watson’s Giants, replacing Liam Byrne who was a late withdrawal.

Young hooker Tom Forber also made his first senior appearance since his debut against Hull KR in 2022.

“Tiaki made an impact, and he’s going to get more minutes for us,” Peet said.

“He's competitive, has an infectious personality and he works really hard. He’s very popular amongst the group and the staff.

“He certainly adds something and we knew having him and Tom Forber in would lift the group because they’re both very popular, and that’s how it proved.”

On Forber, Peet continued: “He was good. I would have liked to have given him a little bit longer, but it’s just the way things panned out with the sin-binning [to Adam Keighran].

“You could see some of the subtleties in his play, when he put Tyler Dupree through for his try.

“His defensive contact was good as well.”