How fatherhood is bringing best out of Wigan Warriors star Harry Smith - on and off the pitch

Harry, and his partner Chloe, welcomed baby Leo into the world last September, within a week of the Warriors securing the League Leaders’ Shield for the second consecutive year.

The 25-year-old says he can’t get enough of being a dad and even reckons his rugby league career is even reaping the rewards of it.

“I feel like it has helped me almost take my mind off the game,” Smith told Wigan Today. “I’m not thinking about it too much, especially as a halfback, there’s a lot of thinking and a lot of intensity towards thinking about how you want to play and how you want the team to play, so to have that time when I get home now to focus on my young boy, walking the dog and just taking my mind off it, has definitely helped me and calmed me down a bit.

“I think it’s also helped my game, I’m coming into games fresh and training fresh and wanting to think about the game and new things, so it’s been brilliant.

“I don’t know what my missus would say, but I think I’m doing alright as a dad!

“He’s seven months old today (last Monday). He’s started to get a bit of a cheeky personality, I don’t know where he gets that from! My missus says he takes after me...

“Everyone says he looks like my missus but he’s got my eyes apparently, that’s what people say, but I’m not going to judge! We think he is going to be left-handed, my missus is left-handed, I’m not sure about the feet yet, he’s not standing just yet, so we’ll see what happens once he gets moving around.”

Mum Chloe and baby boy Leo come to all of Wigan’s home games at the Brick Community Stadium to support Harry and the Warriors, and there is the small matter of a sold-out Good Friday derby between the Warriors and St Helens this week.

“I told Chloe today to make sure she brings his headphones on Friday because it’s going to be very loud, I don’t want him losing his hearing at a Good Friday game!” Smith smiled.

“He’s been to all of our home games so far except for one, which I think was a bit too late for him. I don’t think he’ll come to too many away games so soon but he loves the home games, he just sits there and admires what’s going on, he’s a nosey baby and loves new people, so it’s good.

“Touch wood, we’re four nights in a row of sleeping through so we’re getting on the positive side of it, and long may it continue. My missus is really good with us, the day before a game she always lets me sleep in the spare room so I can get a full night’s sleep, but Leo is brilliant anyway. I think we’ve landed on, he’s a good lad, he likes to eat and likes to sleep, so we can’t complain.

“I’m really looking forward to being on that stage on Good Friday with it being sold out, it’s going to be brilliant.”