WELL, Wigan certainly know a good thing – or to be more accurate, three good things – when they see them.
Eyebrows have maybe been raised at the length of contract extensions – through to 2030 – for Matt Peet, Sean O’Loughlin and Thomas Leuluai.
But for me, it’s another astute piece of business by a club being very well run by chief executive Kris Radlinski.
Wigan surprised some when they picked Peet to succeed Adrian Lam towards the end of 2021.
But they clearly knew what they were getting, having seen him progress through the various levels to become Lam’s right-hand man.
With the help of his assistants, he has already made his mark, winning the Challenge Cup, League Leaders’ Shield, Grand Final and World Club Challenge.
And even better, Wigan have done it by ditching the dull tactics of old and playing in a really entertaining way.
You can easily see them being the game’s dominant force for the foreseeable future.
Looking in from the outside, the players really seem to enjoy the environment created at the club. There are smiles on faces during matches and I’ll wager in training too.
O’Loughlin and Leuluai, like Peet and Radlinski, have Wigan in their DNA, and you just get the feeling the club is in safe hands, with people who know all about the heritage but are also happy to embrace new ideas and methods and have real ambition to keep progressing and improving.
The recruitment in recent times has been really good, and underneath the first team, there’s a strong development system which has produced some real gems, with no doubt more to come.
And with a wealthy new owner in Mike Danson to build on the foundations laid by Ian Lenagan, there’s the financial wherewithal to keep it going.
Putting these coaching deals in place ensures continuity and also wards off potential suitors, because make no mistake, Peet’s work will be very well noted down under.
There was a time when Wigan were all powerful and in my view, spoiled the game as a whole, because they were full-time while most others weren’t, and had no real chance of competing.
It’s slightly different now because Super League is a full-time competition, and hopefully other clubs will raise their standards to keep pace with those at the top.
