WIGAN WARRIORS coach Matt Peet paid tribute to both Noah Hodkinson and Dayon Sambou after their first-team debuts in the Challenge Cup.
Hodkinson was named at fullback in place of injured Jai Field and Bevan French, while Sambou was a substitute.
Hodkinson looked safe under the high ball and was dangerous with ball in hand, while Sambou marked a dream debut with an interception try to end the scoring as Wigan beat Bradford Bulls 30-6.
When asked about the unfazed Hodkinson, Peet said: “Some lads have just got that confidence about them.
“When you have seen him come through the grades or in training, he is a composed character. I just don’t think he overthinks things. He has learned a lot.”
On Sambou, Peet added: “We looked at the balance of the bench. We felt we needed a bit of cover in the back line.
“I was impressed with the way he played for Salford last weekend, so that was the way we decided to go. At the moment, that bench spot is one that we probably won’t play the same every week.”
On the performance against Bradford, Peet was pleased to get through a tough tie and be in the draw for the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
He said: “I’m obviously pleased to be in the next round. I thought we looked organised and connected defensively against a team we know play a good style.
“I was impressed as we knew what we wanted to build our game around tonight. We committed to the plan which the players were heavily involved in coming up with.
“We might not have moved the ball around as much as we have been doing, but it was the right game plan for the fixture.”