Matt Peet outlines Wigan Warriors recruitment stance with succession plan in place
Matt Peet was asked about Wigan Warriors’ recruitment plans heading into 2027
Wigan Warriors coach Matt Peet expects little movement in their ‘top squad’ ahead of the 2027 season and says the club’s future will continue to be largely built from within.
The Warriors have tied down the majority of their senior squad to long-term contracts in recent years, leaving Peet expecting only minimal changes over the coming months.
While he admitted recruitment is always possible, the Wigan boss said the club’s salary cap position means there is unlikely to be any major arrivals who would immediately break into the ‘top squad’.
“I never say never, but not many,” Peet said when asked about potential incomings and outgoings.
“Everyone is aware of what our position is in relation to the salary cap - we’ve got plenty of players tied down for the foreseeable future, so I don’t see much turnover for us.
“There are players you can bring in that aren’t on the salary cap, whether that’s through their age or their salaries, but I don’t think there’ll be anyone coming in who’ll come straight into our top squad.”
The Warriors recruited five players ahead of this season. Ollie Partington has made a seamless transition into life back at Wigan after three seasons away with Salford and Catalans Dragons.
Oliver Wilson is yet to debut after suffering a ruptured Achilles in pre-season following his arrival from Huddersfield Giants, while young pair Dayon Sambou and Jonny Vaughan also joined on long-term deals from St Helens. Young forward Finn McMillan arrived from Championship side Barrow Raiders.
Despite the limited room for recruitment ahead of 2027, Peet insisted the club are constantly looking to strengthen every area of the squad to make it the best it can possibly be.
However, he believes Wigan’s long-term planning means the next generation of first-team players is already coming through the ranks at the club, with 24 homegrown players having played first-team this year.
Asked if there were any particular positions he would like to strengthen, Peet replied: “All of them... If you were in a position where the salary cap wasn’t a thing, then you’d want as much strength in depth in every position.
“But the fact is, we’ve got our succession planning in place, and that’ll be driven almost totally by people that are already within the club and in our academy.”