Tiaki Chan assesses first Wigan Warriors hit-out as new recruit highlights his main focus

At 23, Chan was the oldest player for the Warriors with a squad that included a mixture of the club’s reserves and academy.

With first-team shirt numbers for 2024, Jacob Douglas, Jack Farrimond, Tom Forber and Harvey Makin also featured - with 20-year-old forward Makin heading to Barrow on a season-long loan upon the start of the Championship campaign.

Chan was named at loose forward against Mark Dunning’s side just 48 hours after returning from the 10-day overseas training camp in Portugal.

Forward duo Ryan Brown and Taylor Kerr both bagged braces in the victory, with Farrimond’s conversions the difference between the two sides with four tries apiece.

“It was good to blow the cobwebs away and all that,” Chan said.

“It was challenging for me, I think I’m still trying to learn things, but obviously everyone is. For a first hit-out, I’m not the happiest after it but that’s what friendlies are for.

“My focus and my goal is to go game-by-game and to make sure I’m learning along the way. My main focus is definitely to learn.

“All respect to Midlands Hurricanes, they were really good. They gave everything as well and they were very physical.”

Having played with the club’s rising stars, Chan admits there’s no room for error in the first-team with an already-stacked forward pack alongside ‘hungry’ youngsters rising through the ranks.

“What I’ve learned is that the young lads go hard and they’re all hungry,” Chan continued.

“Everyone is, from the first-team to every group below. We’ll [the first team] be kept on our toes, having some of the young lads there like Taylor Kerr and Harvey Makin, they gave it their all against Midlands Hurricanes.

“When I see them carry it hard, it makes me want to do it. If I see them taking two carries, I want to take three. It’s competitive and at the same time they’re helping me be better.

“Everyone across the board has got to be on their game. Anyone can be given an opportunity at any time and that’s how you’ve got to look at it.”