Matty Peet doesn't expect to feel too different ahead of his first competitive game as Wigan Warriors head coach

His side kick off their Super League campaign with an away trip to Hull KR at Craven Park.

Before taking the top job, Peet had already worked with the first team as an assistant coach and he says he’s only noticed a few differences in the two roles.

He said: “The day to day involvement is very similar, other than naming the team and having those micro-discussions with the players.

“The difference comes through media engagement and things like that.

“I’ve always been quite an active coach on game day, so I don’t think I will be any more or less nervous.”

Peet is pleased with what his team have worked on during pre-season, and believes it sets them up well for round one.

“We’ve managed to strike a blend between getting our attacking structure right and coaching the players to play heads up, making independent decisions, going off the structure and off the plan,” he added.

“We’ve done lots of individual skill development, which combined with our demands will give us more attacking threat.

“We’ve aimed to forge a deeper connection between the players and the staff, with lots of open and honest conversations, that will hopefully stand us in good stead when those pressures come.

“The new players have all had a quality pre-season and have given me plenty to think about.

“Mixed in with the depth we have throughout our juniors, I hope our team will represent that.

“There’s been a lot to think about, I wouldn’t have liked deciding the team to be easy, so I’ve enjoyed working through the process.”

Peet says an important factor for him has been getting things right away from pitch.

“I do believe the on-field stuff in a way can take care of itself, or is easier to mould once you get the environment right and the relationships between people,” he said.

“That way you can impact change in the way you play. If you try to implement things on poor foundations, you could have the best game plan in the world and it would fall on deaf ears.

“Getting a team motivated and building trust is the cornerstone.”

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