Wigan Warriors: Three talking points from the victory over Warrington Wolves

Liam Marshall, Bevan French, Jake Wardle and Liam Farrell all went over for Matty Peet’s side.

After going into the break level, the Warriors went up a gear in the second half. Here are some of the talking points from the game:

Fantastic Kai

Kai Pearce-Paul was fantastic on his return to action.

As soon as he came off the bench, the impact of the 22-year-old was clear to see.

He made some powerful runs going forward, and was on hand with some key defensive contributions.

While no player ever wants to be injured, perhaps having some time on the sidelines has allowed the second-rower to recharge his batteries.

He looked fresh and energetic throughout his entire stint against the Wolves, and it was arguably his best game for the club.

Sensational try

At times during the first half, the Warriors were probably left frustrated when trying to open up a gap in the Wire line, but had no such problem for their second of the night.

A superb dummy from Harry Smith set Peet’s side on their way, with the scrum half demonstrating a fantastic piece of individual skill.

From there, the ball was worked to Wardle, who made good metres down the left side, before passing inside to the supporting French.

That would’ve certainly given the Warriors a spring in their step heading into the second half, where they took full control.

It was a committed display from the entire team, and they were fully deserving of the two points for how they performed after the break.

Reflecting on the past and looking to the future

There was plenty happening at the DW Stadium alongside the first team clash.

The fixture itself marked Wigan’s Heritage Game, with a number of former players in attendance at the ground.

It was great to see a number of legendary names gather on the pitch ahead of kick off, and receive a warm welcome from the supporters.

Meanwhile, prior to the Super League game between Wigan and Wire, the two academy sides were also in action.

The Warriors opened the scoring after 17 minutes, with Lukas Mason finding a way over.

Warrington levelled through Jake Thewlis shortly after, before Taylor Kerr found a gap to put the home team back in front.

Maddox Jeffery extended the lead further with a fantastic finish in the corner just after the half hour mark.

Following the restart, a superb pass from Nathan Lowe provided Trent Kelly-Duffy with a clear route to the line from close range.

Warrington pulled one back through Cai Taylor-Wray ahead of the hour, before Jack Farrimond added Wigan’s fifth try of the evening to round off a 30-12 victory.

The experience of playing at the DW will no doubt benefit the youngsters, and hopefully it can become a regular match day feature.

A strong number of fans turned up in the West Stand to provide some support, alongside members of Peet’s side.