15/01/2025
Wigan head coach Matt Peet believes Oldham is one of the "key areas" for rugby league and has welcomed the Roughyeds' resurgence led by Mike Ford and chairman Bill Quinn.
Peet led the Warriors to a Super League, Challenge Cup and World Club Challenge treble last year, with Wigan bringing their silverware to Boundary Park this Sunday for an eagerly-anticipated pre-season friendly.
And joining Oldham's head coach - his good friend Sean Long - on a fantastic new episode of The Boundary Line on Roughyeds TV, Peet underlined just why the sport needs a strong Oldham and how impressed he has been with the recent Roughyeds revival.
"I'm very aware of it because I worked for so long within the academy game and juniors, I knew it was crying out for something," Peet tells host George Riley.
There has been a bit of a void in Oldham for a while, and there are so many strong junior clubs with Waterhead and St Annes. But there wasn't that optimism at first-team level. It seemed like it was bad press for a few years, with some difficulties.
But since the new regime has come in led by Mike I think there has been an optimism, not just the on-field results but you are hearing more about the community, the sponsors, the partners. There are positive stories coming out of Oldham which I think is fantastic because it is an area we were in danger of losing and there are too many good players who have come out of there for that.
It is one of the key areas, where it sits geographically, the history of the club and the quality of players who have come out of that area is frightening."
In a wide-ranging and compelling discussion, Peet and Long share their ethos on coaching, the secrets to building a winning mentality at a club, and of course Sunday's friendly between the two teams, with a big crowd expected at Boundary Park and a return to Oldham for Wigan's new signing George Hirst.
There will be a starting pack that is particularly experienced," Peet reveals of his team selection.
Tyler Dupree, Kruise Leeming, Liam Byrne, Sam Walters, George will play, Harvie Hill. The backs a little bit less experienced but with some first team games under their belts.
George Hirst has been very good for us. I first started keeping an eye on him after speaking to Sean and he said how well he was doing. Our scouts were reporting on him every other week. He has been exactly what we hope for - a physical specimen who is eager to learn.
I look forward to seeing him play at the weekend, he is excited about it and he will start the season with Oldham and we will monitor him from there. You can see he has some good habits put into him, working both sides of the ball, his work ethic is really good and his attitude."
Long and Peet reveal how the pair are both "rugby nerds", sharing their secrets of success and the reasons top half-backs often make great coaches.
"The ones I know - Tommy Leuluai, Briersy (Lee Briers), Harry Smith, Jai Field - they have a different eye for the game, they watch it and pick it to pieces. So I think Longy is definitely in that bracket as well," said Peet.
Peet also explains how he would have managed Long as a player, with both men describing when and why it can be a good idea to use the "hairdryer" treatment with players.
"You don't mean to make mistakes or do things. But if you don't put in the effort that is when I will spray you!" says Long.
This exclusive episode of The Boundary Line is available to watch for free on our YouTube channel Roughyeds TV.
Make sure you click like and subscribe to gain access to more unique content throughout the season.