Wigan coach Shaun Wane has said that the Warriors are a club that “has to win” games as they look to begin to climb the Super League table this weekend.
With four games remaining of the regular season, Wigan are eighth, just three points clear of ninth-placed Warrington: a gap which could be reduced to just one by the time the Warriors play Widnes on Sunday afternoon.
Wane is still optimistic the Warriors can yet have a “great season” despite their struggles in defending their Super League title so far this season, but says they have to start winning games soon.
He said: “We’ve won a World Club, and hopefully we can get to Wembley and kick-on and have a great season.
“But I’m not going to convince you that I’m happy. I’m not. We’re not. As a club, I don’t like losing games, and it’s something which needs to change pretty quickly. We’re not winning games, and we’re a club that has to win.
“We can all talk about circumstances that have been well-documented, but the fact is we’re losing and drawing games, and we don’t like it.”
Wane has also revealed the club have held some “ugly” meetings in a bid to turnaround their fortunes this season.
“The players definitely don’t like it, the meetings are ugly, we’re talking harshly, because we’re a winning club,” he said.
“It’s not external pressure, these are internal pressures we put on ourselves. We have standards here and we’ve dipped below them – we shouldn’t be going 13-0 down at Huddersfield in a big game.”
Wane will welcome back prop Tony Clubb for the game on Sunday following surgery to have a kidney removed earlier in the year – but fellow forward Taulima Tautai is out.
