Taylor Kerr cherishes Wigan Warriors dream debut - 'It's all I've ever wanted'
Taylor Kerr described making his Wigan Warriors debut as the proudest moment of his blossoming career after helping his hometown club to a 36-16 win over Toulouse Olympique in the south of France on Saturday night.
The 19-year-old loose forward, who grew up in Ince supporting the Warriors, came off the bench to make his first senior appearance for his boyhood club – a moment he says he has been working towards his whole life.
“It’s definitely my proudest moment so far, debuting for Wigan,” said Kerr, who now holds heritage number 1,141 with the Warriors. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do really, so to finally make that dream come true, it’s pretty special.”
Kerr only discovered he would be involved earlier in the week when head coach Matt Peet named the squad during a routine team announcement.
“It was on Wednesday morning,” Kerr told Wigan Today. “We were just having breakfast, and Matty said he was going to name the team like he does every week. When he put it up, I saw myself on the bench, so I was made up with that. It was a bit of a shock, but I was made up!”
The young forward immediately shared the news with his family, who were able to travel to France to watch the milestone moment.
“I told my family straight away,” Kerr said. “I text my mum and dad to tell them I was playing and then my grandads because they wanted to come over and be there for it.
“They ended up coming over as well, which was good. I saw them at the end after the game, so it was nice to share that moment with them.”
Kerr has progressed through the club’s development pathway after playing his junior rugby with local community clubs Ince Rose Bridge, Orrell St James and Wigan St Judes before moving through the Warriors’ famed youth system.
He said the support of his teammates helped him settle into the occasion during the build-up to the game.
“The lads got around me and made it feel that bit more special,” he said. “Same again throughout the week and the day of the game. It’s been a really good week.”
Despite the significance of the moment, Kerr said he managed to keep his nerves under control before taking to the field.
“I normally get a bit nervous, but today I felt pretty good, to be honest,” he said. “There were obviously a bit of nerves, but nothing too crazy. I felt ready. I was more excited than anything.”
Having already gained experience in the Championship during loan spells with London Broncos and Salford, Kerr felt those opportunities helped prepare him for the step up to Super League intensity.
“It was intense, it was fast,” he said. “But I feel like we train hard every week, so that prepares you for it.
“John Duffy (reserves and transition coach) helps us out with loan moves, and that kind of helps us out with that as well. It was obviously a big step up, but I felt like I was ready for it.”
Wigan produced a strong performance to secure the victory, although Kerr acknowledged Toulouse’s persistence throughout the contest.
“I think it was a good performance,” he said. “We started very well and put it on them, but Toulouse never gave in. They kept fighting until the end and made it a good contest, so it was good to come away with the win.”
Having achieved his pre-season aim of making his first-team debut, Kerr now hopes there will be more opportunities to come in the months ahead.
“My goal in pre-season was to debut, but I don’t just want to play one game,” he said. “There is obviously a lot of competition, which is good for us all because we’re pushing each other in training. I just want to play as much as I can when I can. I’ll keep working hard and hopefully be ready when the opportunity comes.”