RYAN HAMPSHIRE has been tasked with continuing to show his value to Wigan – whether he is in their team or not.
The 28-year-old re-joined the Warriors, where he began his career, in early 2023, and last week agreed a new one-year deal with the Super League champions.
Capable of playing in a number of different positions, especially fullback and halfback, Hampshire provides useful versatility in the squad.
Despite that, he was limited to only three appearances this year, as Jai Field, Bevan French and Harry Smith locked down Wigan’s spine positions for much of the campaign.
But head coach Matt Peet said Hampshire proved his value to the squad in training.
“We’ve got a pretty settled spine with Harry, Bevan and Jai, but it’s important that you’ve got some layers beneath that, because they’re not all going to play every game,” he said.
“In (Academy graduate) Jack Farrimond and Ryan Hampshire, we feel like we’ve got a good balance, to compete for those places and to add some depth.
“What Ryan did really well last year, which didn’t go unnoticed, was that the quality of our training sessions with Ryan and Cade Cust (now at Salford) in the halfbacks against our first team was very high.
“That’s a real plus point of our club. When we go 13-on-13 in training against our reserves, it’s generally a very high standard, which means your players go into games sharp and prepared. That’s something we intend to keep.
“I feel Ryan would get into most Super League teams so it’s great to keep him in the squad here. He’s got a great attitude, a good skillset, and he’s a great fit for us.”
