Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet has admitted his side are still carrying the pain of missing out on Betfred Super League glory in 2022 despite their success in the Challenge Cup final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier in the year.
And that is driving Peet and his players on to lift the Super League title in 2023, as he told Betfred’s Super League Launch Show.
“The joy of that success doesn’t last long, and it’s more the pain of the end of the season that I consider when I look back on last year,” he explained. “But you do see photos and it brings back fond memories.
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“I was more gutted than I thought I was going to be [after losing to Leeds Rhinos in the Super League semi-finals]. I probably hadn’t contemplated defeat that week, and that’s no disrespect to Leeds. We were on a bit of a roll, we were undefeated at home and it was a shock to the system.
“All credit to Leeds, they did a great job that evening, and I wasn’t ready for the season to end. We’re determined, we’re motivated, but last season didn’t finish the way we wanted.”
Peet was speaking as part of a bumper launch show also starring full interviews with Leeds coach Rohan Smith, new Hull FC boss Tony Smith and Warrington Wolves head coach Daryl Powell.
The reigning Steve Prescott Man of Steel Brodie Croft also stops in on the back of the announcement of his record-breaking new eight-year contract with the Salford Red Devils, and he told presenter Mark Pearson and special guest Paul Sculthorpe that he was initially unsure about the prospect of signing for so long at the AJ Bell Stadium.
“It came up a couple of months ago, the initial talks of it, and to be honest I was a bit caught off guard by it, I thought ‘I don’t know about that!’ But then once my manager started talking and I spoke to my family, the stability it provides to my young family – I’ve got two kids under two now and a partner at home.
“It gives me a lot of confidence as well, knowing the club believe in me like this, and I believe in the club and the direction it’s going. Everyone says they like the direction their club’s going in but I truly believe in this group we have, it’s a special group to be a part of and I’m blessed that I can sign a contract like this.”
There are also appearances on the show from Wigan Warriors star Anna Davis after the announcement that the Betfred Women’s Super League Grand Final will be shown live on Sky Sports ahead of the men’s main event, while Leeds Rhinos’ wheelchair coach James Simpson joins the team to talk about his new role having retired from playing after winning the Rugby League World Cup with England in November.
St Helens head coach Paul Wellens and captain James Roby speak ahead of the reigning Super League champions’ clash with Penrith Panthers in the World Club Challenge, while every other top-flight club is represented in a bumper show.
The Betfred Super League Launch show is available on Betfred’s YouTube channel from 6pm on Friday.
*18+ | BeGambleAware
