Wigan Warriors: Three takeaways from Leeds Rhinos warm-up defeat with pre-season standout selected
Wigan Warriors fell to a 22-4 defeat to Leeds Rhinos in their final warm-up friendly ahead of the 2025 Super League season, with Ash Handley celebrating his testimonial match at Headingley Stadium.
Stars get first run-out
Wigan’s senior stars got their first run-out of the year, with a strong side selected to start the fixture.
Jai Field, Liam Marshall, Jake Wardle, Adam Keighran, Harry Smith, Luke Thompson, Junior Nsemba, Liam Farrell, Kaide Ellis and Patrick Mago all getting their first - and only - minutes of pre-season, with many of those taken off and replaced at the break, with the scoreline then at 12-4.
Don’t read too much into the final result, with match fitness, running shapes and the physical battle undoubtedly the priority, but Zach Eckersley’s first-half try was a match highlight. Keighran did well to keep a short French kick from going dead, batting back to Farrell, who then quickly found the young outside-back to ground the ball all over the try-line.
Wigan made plenty of changes for the second half with Jack Farrimond, Noah Hodkinson, Josh Cartwright, Finlay Yeomans, Jacob Douglas and Taylor Kerr all entering the field, alongside new recruit George Hirst.
Wigan’s pre-season standout
All the signs are leading to Harvie Hill producing a mighty campaign for Wigan Warriors in 2025, arguably the reigning champions’ standout performer of pre-season.
The 21-year-old had already been hailed by head coach Matt Peet for an ‘outstanding’ pre-season ahead of the warm-up matches getting underway, and he has clearly continued that on the field with his displays against Oldham and Leeds respectively.
Hill was a workhorse in the 28-16 win at Boundary Park, featuring at loose forward, and also had a powerful performance from the interchange bench at Headingley Stadium, with a couple of huge runs in the middle accompanied by some strong defence.
With 16 appearances during the 2024 Grand Slam winning season, including from the bench in the World Club Challenge victory, Hill looks set for an even bigger and better year.
Fellow forward Tyler Dupree also produced two impressive displays, featuring in both pre-season matches.
Invaluable experience for next crop of stars
Some of Wigan’s rising stars got their first taste of Super League opponents at Headingley Stadium, gaining vital experience in their young careers.
The likes of Brodie Croft, Ash Handley, Harry Newman and Matt Frawley played around an hour, while Brad Arthur opted to retain a strong pack throughout the match – including Keenan Palasia, Sam Lisone, Cooper Jenkins, James Bentley, Mikolaj Oledzki and Cam Smith.
It provided the first chance for Wigan’s youngsters to play some of the game’s biggest names, only conceding second-half tries to Ryan Hall and Harry Newman.