WIGAN coach Matt Peet says it’s been a privilege to work with Liam Farrell the player as he prepares to welcome the retiring centre or second rower and the most recent inductee into the Wigan Hall of Fame to his backroom staff.
The 36-year will take on a strength and conditioning role, for which he has been gaining qualifications during a glittering 17-season career which apart from a handful of early loan games for Widnes, has been spent at the Warriors, latterly as captain.
He has contributed to six Super League titles, with Wigan eyeing up another, five Challenge Cup triumphs and two World Club Challenge victories.
Farrell, who passed 450 career appearances and 150 Wigan tries earlier this season, returned from a shoulder injury to score a try in Wigan’s League Leaders’ Shield-clinching 50-12 win over Catalans, explained: “You have to make the right call at the right time. I think I have done that.
“Speaking to people close to me, professionals and the advice I have had, it’s the right time.
“Playing one game for Wigan was always the goal for me. If I had done that and never played again I’d have been immensely proud, my family would have been proud and we’d have gone back to being Wigan fans.
“So to have been able to play so many times in this jersey has been nothing short of incredible.”
Peet, whose first coaching involvement in the Wigan system was in 2008, told BBC Radio Manchester: “It’s been a privilege to work with him, to watch his career develop and witness how he conducts himself on the field.
“I’ve always thought that Liam has moments in big games because of the sacrifices he makes and the way that he trains. He really does have a relentless attitude.
“He trains when he shouldn’t. I remember one off-season when it was way off the time when the lads were due back, but we had an early-morning start with some of our Academy recruits.
“It was still dark on a winter morning, it was about 6am and Faz was running on the track at Robin Park (the Wigan training ground].
“I remember saying to the lads ‘look outside – that’s your club captain’.”
Peet added: “To come from the town and achieve what he has in the manner he has is exactly what Wigan supporters want in one of their own.”
Farrell was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame at Saturday night’s club awards night, just days after announcing his impending retirement.
He has become the sixteenth member and joins some of the biggest names in Wigan’s history in the Hall of Fame, including Sir Billy Boston, Eric Ashton, Ellery Hanley, Shaun Edwards and his future coaching colleague Sean O’Loughlin, who was the last member to be inducted in 2020.
On Saturday night Adam Keighran was named Player of the Year, Brad O’Neill the Players’ Player of the Year, Jack Farrimond winning the Young Player of The Year award while Reserves coach John Duffy received the Chairman’s Award.