Matt Peet 'proud every day' as Wigan coach claims Old Trafford pressure 'is a reward for a good season’s work'

This year’s showpiece event will mark a second final in as many years in charge of Wigan for 39-year-old Peet, having led the side to Challenge Cup glory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in his debut campaign.

The Warriors claimed this year’s League Leaders’ Shield with 20 wins during the regular season, and booked their spot at Old Trafford for the first time since 2018 with a stunning 42-12 victory over Hull KR in the semi-finals.

And on Saturday, Peet will lead the side out at the Theatre of Dreams alongside captain Liam Farrell in front of a crowd of more than 50,000 - with ticket sales having already surpassed the 2021 fixture that saw Catalans reach their first-ever Grand Final.

“I’m proud every day of this team and Saturday will be no different,” Peet said.

“I’ve been proud of the lads all season, both on and off the field. I’m privileged to be working with this group on a daily basis.

“We’re excited. We spoke a lot about it being something that we’ve worked all year to get to, so we have to embrace it and enjoy it.”

A handful of players are set to make their first appearance in a Grand Final, including rising stars Tyler Dupree and Brad O’Neill alongside the likes of Jai Field, Jake Wardle, Abbas Miski, Kai Pearce-Paul and Liam Marshall, with the latter having missed out in 2018 and 2020 due to injury.

With four-time Super League winner Sean O’Loughlin and fellow Wigan legend Thomas Leuluai in the coaching ranks, there’s plenty of experience around the Wigan camp off the field.

And on the field, skipper Farrell has also claimed the sport’s biggest trophy on four occasions, with the likes of Willie Isa and Sam Powell having also tasted success on the big stage.

Coach Peet welcomes the mixture of youth and experience, and believes that the pressure on his players this Saturday is a reward for their hard work throughout the course of the 2023 season.

He said: “I think that’s what you want in your squad. Ideally, you don’t want everyone to be the same.

“You want some diversity in terms of playing strengths and also in experience levels. In our young players, it might be their first Grand Final which will bring us that freshness, excitement and nerves and then you lean on your older heads to bring that stability and that insurance and experience.

“We create a lot of time in the week for the lads to speak up and talk about their feelings and help each other out.

“That nervousness and that pressure is a reward for a good season’s work.

“It’s not something that we shy away from, it’s something we discuss and how we deal with it.

“Ultimately, our lads are used to dealing with pressure or else they wouldn’t be in this position.

“Whether it’s their fourth or fifth Grand Final or their first, they're all accustomed to playing in big games.

“And hopefully our best performance is ahead of us.”