Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet shed light on his decision-making regarding the wing position after Liam Marshall was ruled out late ahead of their victory over Castleford Tigers.
Marshall, the England international, was initially slated to start on the left wing when the line-ups were confirmed 90 minutes before kick-off at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle. However, he withdrew during the warm-up due to a minor ankle issue picked up in Wigan’s previous loss to Wakefield Trinity.
In response, academy graduate Jacob Douglas was drafted in to replace him. Although Christian Wade—recently signed from rugby union—was also included in the 21-man squad for the first time, Peet explained in his post-match press conference why he turned to Douglas.
“At the moment, Dougie’s just ahead,” said Peet. “Christian spent time training on the left wing this week and shared the reps with Jacob. He’s done really well, so we’ll assess things week by week.”
Wade, a former British and Irish Lions star, joined Wigan on a short-term deal for the rest of the 2025 Super League campaign and has been training with the team for several weeks. The 34-year-old has already made two Reserve appearances, scoring twice in his latest outing against St Helens.
Wade, who also has experience representing England in rugby union, travelled with the squad to Castleford, taking time to engage with both home and away fans upon arrival.
Watching Wigan narrowly defeat the Tigers 26-20, Wade likely gained some valuable perspective on the demands of the sport.
“He’ll have realised there are no easy fixtures,” Peet commented with a smile. “He’s already shown a real willingness to adapt—putting in time with video analysis, training hard, learning from the coaching staff and teammates, and drilling the fundamentals. His effort so far has been really impressive.”
Wigan now turn their attention to a local derby clash with Leigh Leopards this coming Friday night.
