A new year, a new era and new hope for Wigan Warriors heading into the 2022 Super League campaign.
After a bitterly disappointing season last term, Wigan cut ties with head coach Adrian Lam and decided to revamp their entire coaching department.
Lam, a popular figure with the cherry and whites as a player, had three years in charge at the DW Stadium but failed to win a major trophy.
True, he guided the Warriors to the League Leaders’ Shield in 2020 and they narrowly lost out in that year’s Grand Final to St Helens when Jack Welsby scored after the final hooter to settle the most dramatic title decider in Super League history.
But the 2021 season felt like regression for Wigan, so out went Lam at the end of the campaign and up stepped Matty Peet to become head coach.
Warrington Wolves legend Lee Briers has also been brought in to assist Peet alongside Wigan icon Sean O’Loughlin.
In another major development, Shaun Wane has returned to the club as leadership and management director on a part-time basis, combining the role with his duties as England coach.
It is a coaching set-up much different to any other Super League club and how much influence Wane will have – particularly in a World Cup year – remains to be seen.
Much of the responsibility will fall on Peet’s shoulders as he looks to prove he can cut it as a Super League head coach.
Peet’s coaching pedigree and experience in the Wigan system, at youth and first-team level, is impressive.
As with nearly every Super League squad, Wigan have had a sizeable turnover of players during the winter.
Two of their best players have jumped ship for the NRL in Jackson Hastings and Oliver Gildart.
Props Tony Clubb (retired) and Joe Bullock (signed for Warrington) have also gone, while squad player Amir Bourouh has joined Salford and Dom Manfredi has hung up his boots.
Six new faces have come in to replace the six men who have departed and three of those have arrived from the NRL in forwards Kaide Ellis and Patrick Mago and half-back Cade Cust.
Centre Iain Thornley has rejoined the Warriors from relegated Leigh Centurions and Abbas Miski and Ramon Silva have been signed from London Broncos.
It is not a recruitment drive to get Wigan’s demanding supporters overly excited, but Cust is tipped to shine and John Bateman and Zak Hardaker remain two of Super League’s most influential players on their day.
Injuries affected the England duo last term but they will both hope to hit gear with the World Cup on the horizon at the end of the year.
Bevan French is an amazing talent and will hope for an injury-free campaign in 2022 after an injury-ravaged last season.
It also still remains to be seen if French will return to Wigan from his native Australia ahead of the new campaign.
If, however, he does take up his place in the Warriors’ squad, then Peet has a player blessed with the ability to win matches on his own.
Transition could be the watchword for Wigan in 2022 but with Peet and Wane driving standards and culture then the Warriors should at least be no pushovers this season.
There is no shortage of homegrown talent within Peet’s squad and former London Broncos prospect Kai Pearce-Paul should get even better this season.
Even if they fall short of Grand Final glory, the coming season could be about rediscovering the no-nonsense, never-say-die approach which characterised the hugely successful Wane era and harvested three Super League titles.
Returning to those days will take some doing in 2022, but lifting the Challenge Cup may not be beyond them.
