Wigan Warriors boss Matt Peet on Adam Keighran sin-bin, Jake Wardle injury and Liam Farrell’s final game

Matt Peet has urged Adam Keighran to keep his head held high after the Wigan Warriors centre was sin-binned in their Super League play-off semi-final defeat to Wakefield Trinity.

Keighran was sent to the sin-bin in the 45th minute for a tip tackle on Isaiah Vagana, with Wakefield making the most of their numerical advantage.

Trinity scored three tries while Keighran was off the field to turn an 8-6 half-time lead into a 24-6 advantage, before eventually running out comfortable 33-6 winners at the Brick Community Stadium.

However, Peet was keen to stress that Keighran should not dwell on the incident, pointing to his contribution to Wigan’s season and the effort he has consistently put in, having been a standout performer for the Warriors this term.

“He seems alright in there (the changing rooms),” Peet said post-match. “He’s had some unbelievable moments for us over the last few years. You don’t get everything all your own way, and he couldn’t have tried any harder.

“It was a split-second moment, decision made, and on another night, he has a blinder, sets two up and kicks 10, so hopefully he doesn’t dwell on it.

“He’s got a beautiful family, he’s loved at the club, and he’s had a good season, so that’s what I’ll be saying to him anyway.”

Peet also pointed out that both sides had to deal with playing with 12 men after Wakefield’s Jazz Tevaga was sin-binned in the first half for a trip on Liam Marshall.

The Wigan boss felt the key difference was how each team handled the periods with a numerical advantage.

“I just think the game’s not about that,” said Peet when asked about the sin-bins. “Both teams were challenged with a similar thing, and they dealt with it better than we did, both when they were down and when they were up.

“They made the number tell, didn’t they? There were probably times when we should have played a bit more rugby on them, but that’s because they were defending stuff that we’ve done for a while now really well.

“I’ve no shame in admitting we were second best.”

Keighran has been recognised for his performances this season with a nomination for the Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel award, while Peet also provided an update on Jake Wardle after the centre missed a third consecutive game with a calf injury.

Wardle was named in Wigan’s 21-man squad for the semi-final but was not quite ready to return.

“If we had won, which we didn’t, he’d have been a good chance for next week,” said Peet. “I can’t remember the exact things, but he wasn’t quite ready.”

Saturday’s defeat also brought the curtain down on captain Liam Farrell’s illustrious 17-year career with his hometown club.

Farrell finishes his playing career with a host of major honours, including six Super League titles, five Challenge Cups, two World Club Challenge titles and six League Leaders’ Shields.

“He understands you don’t always get the fairytale ending - not many do, do they?” Peet said.

“I know he’s proud of the group, proud of the journey of the team, and I feel very much the same. It’s disappointing, but we lost to a very good team tonight.”

Wakefield will face Warrington Wolves in the Grand Final at Old Trafford on Saturday, with a new name guaranteed to be crowned Super League champions.