Matty Peet hails Warriors' win against Catalans Dragons as 'one of our better performances'

As the Warriors shocked Catalans 34-0 at State Gilbert Brutus, Peet revealed forward O’Neill needed painkillers to return to the field after halftime.

In the 33rd minute, Tomkins appeared to fear a prowler-style challenge from O’Neill as he was held upright in a tackle.

While the 213-game ex-Warrior was facing away from the main grandstand and the television cameras, O’Neill reeled out of the collision and appeared to complain to referee Liam Moore he had been kneed by the Dragons skipper.

“I’m not going to comment on it … everyone saw what happened,” Peet told Wigan Today.

“I don’t think it’s my place to say anything.

“Brad has gone for X-rays. We needled him up to get him back out there in the second half but it was no good. He’s got a rib issue and we’ll find out the seriousness of it in the coming days I guess."

Peet’s comments – while subdued – will leave the disciplinary committee in no doubt that they are expected to review the incident.

Tomkins, 34, retires at the end of the year and with the League Leaders Shield beckoning, it could be an emotional issue over the next week as the tackle is investigated.

The coach wasn’t as rapturous in his praise of the crushing win as many fans and media, saying only, “I’d say it was one of our better performances this year, yes.”

Peet – who told TV viewers travelling fans were “always much better when they’ve been on the drink all day” – said there had been no push to prove a point beyond improving on last week’s performance against Hull FC.

Asked if Wigan could still win the League Leaders Shield, he said: “What I do know is that it’s good to get a home play-off and to get a home play-off you aim to finish in the top two.

“We can’t control what other sides do but if we keep winning, we are a chance of finishing in the top two. If that also means Catalans drop some points … I’m not about to predict that is going to happen.”

Attacking with defence and restricting Catalans’ attacking options with judicious kicking were key pillars in Perpigan, he said.

“They are known for their back three and getting momentum off them and for their spine, aren’t they?” Peet said.

“We wanted to impose ourselves on them and on the game, that’s what he set out to do.

“The good sides, the sides who finish high up the table, they kick well and they chase those kicks well. So yes, that was a big part of what we tried to do.”

On TV, he said of heavy defeats on previous visits to Gilbert Brutus: “We’ve learned a lot from that, we’ve learned from what they did to us at Magic and also from every game.

“We’ve learned this week from when we don’t look after the ball and we don’t play a certain way. I thought today was a step in the right direction.

“The fact we’ve got so many fans who invest money and build a holiday around coming to watch this team – we owe it to them. We don’t miss that and I dare say they would have enjoyed that as much as we have.”