Wigan Warriors: Centres to be kept on their toes by starlet with ‘a lot of skill’ says Jake Wardle

The 20-year-old outside-back, who made his senior debut from the bench against Hull KR in 2022, has been tipped for a bright future at the DW Stadium, with coach Matt Peet opting not to recruit following the off-season departure of Iain Thornley.

Instead, the 39-year-old Wigan boss is putting his faith in the club’s rising stars, with young duo Jacob Douglas and Jack Farrimond also a part of the first-team for 2024 with shirt numbers 28 and 30 respectively.

New recruit Adam Keighran takes up the vacant number three shirt ahead of his debut campaign in cherry and white, with Wardle admitting the starting centre pair will have to be on top of their game each week with hungry youngsters waiting in the wings.

“One thing that we’ve got good here at Wigan is that we’ve got a lot of young lads trying to break into the first-team, and Zach Eckersley is definitely one of them,” Wardle said.

“He’s up-and-coming and has a lot of skill about him.

“The way he’s been training, me and Adam Keighran are going to have to be performing well each week to make sure we keep our spots.”

Wardle, 25, enjoyed his finest season to date during his first season with Wigan, scoring 16 tries in 31 appearances and also beating team-mate Harry Smith to the Harry Sunderland Trophy by one vote during the Grand Final victory at Old Trafford.

He is hoping to enjoy his game once more in 2024, ready to start the season with a trip to the Mend-A-Hose Jungle to face Castleford Tigers in round one.

“I think last year, coming to a new club, it couldn’t have gone much better,” the England international stated.

“For me now, it’s about building on that. I want to enjoy it again, I feel like that’s when I play my best.

“I’m in the environment where I think that’s possible and hopefully I can enjoy it as much as I did last year.”