Wigan Warriors v St Helens: Matt Peet highlights Saints’ key threats ahead of Rivals Round clash
Matt Peet expects another intense and high-quality contest when Wigan Warriors face St Helens in the traditional Good Friday derby at a sold-out BrewDog Stadium.
The fixture, one of the standout occasions in the rugby league calendar, rarely needs added narrative, but Peet believes Saints still carry significant threats across the park despite injuries and a number of young players coming into Paul Rowley’s side.
“I think the spine, Daryl Clark, Jackson (Hastings), Tristan Sailor, they’d all be in their best team and Harry Robertson would be in there somewhere as well, so they’ve still got a helluva lot of talent,” Peet said.
“I think Harry Robertson was one of the best young players in the game last year.”
Peet also highlighted the quality emerging through the Saints’ ranks, highlighting several young players he believes are ready to thrive on the big stage in the Red V.
“Owen Dagnall is someone who, whenever I watched him as a junior, I thought he was someone who was destined to be one of the best wingers in Super League, and I think that’s what he’ll be,” Peet continued. “I think he is a natural successor to Tommy Makinson. He is a brilliant player, and Noah Stephens was excellent against Hull KR.
“I think both teams, I know some of the players are young, but you’ve got some proper players there – Jake Wingfield another one – I don’t think these lads will be fazed at all.”
While the rivalry between the two clubs remains fierce, Peet was keen to underline the respect that exists beneath the surface, particularly in how both organisations continue to produce homegrown talent.
“We certainly respect the way they go about their business as a club, the players they’ve brought through,” he said.
“We talk about the history of this competition, and a lot of the visions you see on the footage are Sam Tomkins, Jonny Lomax, Mark Percival, Liam Farrell – and they are the players that have come through these systems at both clubs, so we should be excited about the next ones to break through and make names for themselves.”