'Turn it into fuel' - Matt Peet reflects on Wigan Warriors' derby defeat and motivation to respond

Wigan looked on course to claim victory at the BrewDog Stadium after building a 24-10 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining, only for Saints to produce a late comeback, scoring four tries in quick succession to secure a 34-24 win and, ultimately, the local bragging rights.

Reflecting on the defeat, Peet admitted the closing stages of the game had dominated the review process, figuring out why that happened.

“I think you have to focus on the end, don’t you?” he said. “It was one of those games that you start watching back, but you know what’s coming at the end.

"It was difficult to enjoy, even some of the good things that we did, and in review and having discussions with the players, we have to address the way the game ended and how we failed to wrestle momentum back for that period. It was a tough defeat to take.”

Having watched the game back, Peet believes a combination of small errors contributed to the late collapse, but ultimately pointed to his side’s inability to regain control when momentum swung.

“There are things in isolation, a few penalties in there and a few defensive decisions, missed tackles,” he explained. “But I think it’s the failure to halt that cycle and wrestle momentum back that meant that we lost ultimately.

“You have to credit St Helens for the things they did well – they’ll take pride in that and rightly so, but we’ve got to get our own house in order.”

The defeat followed a shock loss to Huddersfield Giants the previous week, which ended Wigan’s unbeaten start to the Super League season. However, Peet was keen to stress the contrast between the two performances.

“I think the two games are very different,” he said. “Huddersfield, we were miles off for the 80 minutes, and I think St Helens, there were still positives to pick out of that performance, although we discuss the ending of it and rightly so.

“They’re two different types of performance from us, and we’re very aware that the season is never straightforward, so we continue to learn and look forward.”

Despite the disappointment, Peet insists the focus has already shifted to how his side responds, with the emotional impact of the derby defeat still fresh as the Warriors prepare to face Wakefield Trinity in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals at the DIY Kitchens Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

"The hurt is still there,” he admitted. “It was a tough one to take, but you’ve got to turn that into fuel and look forward.

“I think there’s enough experience in the building to know it’s about what you do next, how you move forward, take it on the chin, look where you can improve, and that process remains consistent.

“Although some of the performances in games during the season are more difficult to take than others, the manner of that defeat makes it one of those.”