WIGAN have great hopes for Jack Farrimond – but coach Matt Peet doesn’t want to put too much pressure on the youngster yet.
Halfback Farrimond made his debut in the Warriors’ big win at London on Saturday, setting up two of their ten tries.
The 18-year-old was promoted into the first-team squad ahead of this season and is reckoned to be among the brightest talents in a strong recent crop of Academy products.
“I don’t want to hype him up too much, but we think highly of him,” said Peet.
“You don’t put a player into a Wigan shirt at 18 if you don’t have respect for them and high hopes.
“He’s a good advertisement for our Academy. (Academy coach) John Duffy and (head of youth) Shane Eccles have done a fantastic job with him, and before that his coaches at Leigh Miners as well.
“He’s a pleasure to work with. Since he started doing bits with our first team at 16 years of age, you could see he’s level-headed and has a fantastic skillset.
“It’s important that we nurture him the right way, and don’t hype him up too much or expect too much from him. Today was a positive step for him.”
While players in his position don’t normally stand out for their defence, Farrimond impressed with a number of strong tackles as London attempted to pick out the newcomer.
“For a young player in that position, if you’re a bit passive in your first few contacts, teams smell blood and they keep coming back at it,” added Peet.
“There were a few on the goal-line early on, you could tell they were trying to isolate him and he stood up really well to that.
“He’s not a player you worry about physically. We’ve got to protect him from himself sometimes because he loves that side of the game.
“The main thing when you look at a young player and whether they’re ready for this is the physical side of the game. He showed that he was there to compete.
“He has the ability. His game sense is outstanding. It’s really important for him to continue working hard. He’s going to get more opportunities.”
