WIGAN WARRIORS head coach Matt Peet has gone into further detail surrounding the injury sustained by star Bevan French.
French suffered a torn hamstring during Wigan’s 36-16 win over Toulouse Olympique at the weekend and will be sidelined for around four months as a result.
Now Peet has explained the issue and how French reacted to the news.
“We had a fair idea it was serious with the way he was explaining it to the physios so it sounded like a bad one,” Peet said.
“You can see around the league that we are not the only ones that have had tough news recently.
“he seems alright, he’s a positive character. There is some frustration there because he has got himself in great shape.
“He felt like he had some good form ahead of him but he’s got quite philosophical now and can quickly flick the switch.
“Now he knows the timeframe, he can get his head down and focus on the present.”
So who will replace French at the back?
“We will have a couple of options. Noah (Hodkinson) has been playing well in the reserves.
“Dayon (Sambou) played well for Salford and Nathan (Lowe) played well in the reserves as well.
“So, there is a decision to make. If we make an outside back switch then it might mean moving Zach (Eckersley) which is another consideration.”
Peet was asked about Hodkinson and what he can bring.
“I remember seeing Noah play when he was 13 at Hindley. He is a very instinctive player and a broken-field runner so beating people comes natural to him.
“Being in our environment, he has learned the role of fullback and learned it well.”
The Warriors will go up against Bradford, with the Bulls currently being one of the
“Without doubt, they’ve been strong in every game and they could have won every game they have been in.
“They play a great brand. They’ve got good players and what Kurt (Haggerty) is doing is getting the best out of his players.
“There are some players who we weren’t aware of too much but Kurt is bringing the best out of them and it’s raising the levels of everyone there.”