Why there's a 'fresh' feel to Wigan Warriors' pre-season

Sean O'Loughlin, setting into his new coaching role, has helped oversee the first week of pre-season training

The younger players in the squad reported back for duty on Monday to begin preparations for the new Super League campaign, which begins on March 11.

And a combination of gym and skills work, as well as the input of new strength and conditioning coach Ian Bentley, have helped make the first week varied as well as valuable.

“I’d say it feels quite fresh for the players with Ian coming in and putting his own stamp on things,” said assistant coach Matty Peet.

“We’re also fortunate we’ve got Robin Park, it’s our second pre-season there and Matrix have been in and given the gym a new look and we’ve got the indoor running track and 4G, too, so it helps keep it fresh.

“We still try and include some ball work, even if there’s not a great deal of running, but there’s also a lot of work in the gym.”

Peet, fellow assistant John Winder and new coaching staff member Sean O’Loughlin have been overseeing training while head coach Adrian Lam is back in Australia.

“We had plenty of meetings before Lammy left – he had to quarantine for a while when he got back to Australia – and he’s been in regular contact and able to see some of our sessions on video, too,” said Peet.

Some of the more senior players have also reported back ahead of schedule, though strict Covid-19 protocols mean numbers are limited and only those who have been tested are allowed back into the bubble.