Wigan Warriors coach Matt Peet hopes “intelligent” work during a 14-day gap between games will pay off as he tries to guide them to the Grand Final and keep alive dreams of a double in his first year at the helm.
The Cherry and Whites’ bright season so far – 19 wins in 27 league games for a second-place finish to St Helens alongside a Challenge Cup final triumph – is reflected in Peet’s nomination for the Super League Coach of the Year award.
But his sole concern at this stage is Friday’s play-off semi-final showdown with Leeds at the DW Stadium.
Wigan will try to maintain a 100 percent home record and so seal a second Grand Final appearance in three years and twelfth in all during the Summer era, the last of their five Super League titles so far coming in 2018, when Warrington were beaten 12-4 at Old Trafford.
After 31 games in league and cup, Wigan-born Peet, a long-serving member of the coaching staff before replacing Adrian Lam in the top job in October, said: “We’re trying to be intelligent about the work we do, and mixing training with time off.
“It’s not about getting fitter at this time of the year. It’s about freshening the lads up and having some fun.
“We’ve talked a lot about how we want to play, and this week we will practise it, but we won’t change too much.
“We want to flow into it, and it won’t be too different to the rest of the year. We’ll work hard when the time is right.”
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