Wigan Warriors: John Winder discusses the benefits of reserve-grade rugby league following its return this season

The concept returned for the 2022 season, with Wigan Warriors winning all 14 of their games throughout the campaign.

Winder states reserves rugby is beneficial in a number of ways.

“It’s what players need,” he said.

“That regular competition is a big thing, and having the reserves going this year has certainly helped.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to twin it with loan and dual-reg moves, to allow lads to play regular rugby.

“We have seen the development in them and what that has brought, so long may it continue.

“The experience for the players is about three things I suppose.

“It’s about giving those elite junior players the next challenge, so the likes of Harvie Hill and Junior Nsembain in particular have come through into the reserves from the academy, before going on to make their debuts against Hull KR.

“It’s then about giving the guys who are a little bit older, or too old for the academy, another year to develop.

“We’ve had some good examples of that with Tom Forber and Jack Bibby, who have been playing reserves all year but have also had opportunities either on loan or dual-reg.

“Then the third thing is about creating an experience for them.

“Playing in a Grand Final, whether that is U16s or reserves level, it’s a great thing to have to help you to develop.

“If you’re playing in the main Grand Final one day, you can use that experience to help you.

“Our biggest challenge in this country is the available talent pool, and what the reserves does is give those players who need the extra time that chance to develop.

“If you go back four or five years, there are plenty of examples of first team players who came through that reserve system, with people like Sam Powell and Dom Crosby, or even Sam Tomkins to an extent.

“It allows you to maximise the talent you’ve got. The more competitive we can make it, the better.

“There are a lot of people at Wigan who do a lot of work to start the pathway off, so when we see those guys do well, you take a lot of pride from it.

“Matt (Peet) has been through the system himself, so he understands the importance of it.

“It’s a big win for everyone when a player comes through our system and makes their first team debut.”

The Warriors overcame Wakefield Trinity 40-12 in the recent Grand Final at Robin Park Arena.

“It was a tough game, and even though the scoreline blew out at the end, it was very competitive for 60 minutes,” he added.

“The lads did really well, staying patient, and taking their opportunities when they came.

“As a group, we spoke about the club winning trophies at junior and academy level, and that was their opportunity.

“They’ve been very good all year, and were the standout team for the 13 rounds they played.

“The final was a chance to rubber stamp that.

“It was the first chance the reserves competition had been running for a few years, and we wanted to make sure we were at the forefront.”