Tiaki Chan discusses his eleventh hour Warriors debut: 'You've always got to be prepared'

The 23-year-old forward made his first Wigan appearance against Huddersfield Giants, replacing Liam Byrne during the warm-up who was a late withdrawal due to a hip injury.

Chan, who joined the champions ahead of 2024, made his Super League debut for Catalans Dragons in 2022 against Leeds Rhinos, having originally been named 20th man by coach Steve McNamara.

“Being in the 21-man squad, you’ve always got to be prepared,” Chan said.

“Anything can happen. I probably know that more than anyone; that’s how I made my Super League debut.

“I was 20th man, then three got injured on the captain's run.”

Discussing his late Wigan call-up, the France international continued: “Throughout the week, Liam Byrne said to me, ‘Stay ready’ because he wasn’t feeling the best.

“So I had to make sure I was prepared and ready if I got that call up, which I did, to perform for the boys.

“At the start of the warm-up against Huddersfield, I found out I was playing.

“You’ve just got to make sure you’re prepared.”

Chan made his second appearance from the interchange bench in the 60-22 victory over London Broncos in the capital, assisting Harvie Hill with a slick pass in the second half as Wigan ran in 10 tries.

It saw Matt Peet’s outfit extend their winning start to the 2024 campaign, lifting them to the top of the Super League table with a game in hand.

“All credit to London Broncos, they never gave up,” Chan said.

“They’re a team that plays 80 minutes and we had to make sure we stuck with that.

“I think our boys did well.

“In this team, everyone turns up for each other. You turn up for your brother next to you, and you know they’ll do the same for you.

“The weekend proved that we can get the job done as a young pack. All of us are learning together.

“There’s obviously still a lot of things for me to work on.

“Now we’ve got to get ready for Salford and I’ll prepare like I’m going to play again.”