Peet lays down challenge to Wigan

MATT Peet has challenged his young fringe players to show they are worthy of a place in his Wigan side long-term ahead of tonight’s Challenge Cup final dress rehearsal with Huddersfield Giants.

In the aftermath of Saturday’s semi-final victory against St Helens, the Warriors boss has rested five frontline players, including star fullback Jai Field.

Morgan Smithies and John

Bateman are also among those who are rested tonight, with Peet bringing youngsters Umyla Hanley, James McDonnell, Matty Nicholson, Logan Astley and

Jack Bibby into his 21-man squad.

Astley and Bibby are yet to make their senior debuts for the Warriors, with Peet hinting he could hand one debut out at the John Smith’s Stadium.

But Peet said the game with Ian Watson’s side is a golden opportunity for Hanley and McDonnell to prove they are capable of featuring on a regular basis.

“It’s not just about thinking about the final,” Peet said. “It’s about the team going forwards, there are going to be opportunities to play in the future.

“They’re in because they playing positions we needed to bring players into. It’s a case of the next in line really.

“It’s down to the way they’ve played on loan and on reserve grade, but also the way they practice here in training too. It’s a reward for their attitude in the last few months.”

Peet said there are ‘one or two’ spots for his team in the final later this month to still be determined, but of the quintet of senior stars left out this week, none have serious injury worries.

“They’re not injured, but there’s people playing with niggles and managing niggles,” he said. “It’s not just a case of resting them, it’s a case of managing ongoing bumps.”