Wigan Warriors Academy head coach Matty Smith has previewed Thursday night's play-off clash against Warrington Wolves, with the young side looking to maintain their perfect regular season record.
The Academy finished the regular season unbeaten and conceded fewer points than any other team in the competition. They now face Warrington Wolves at home, followed by Leeds Rhinos at home, and Castleford Tigers away, in a bid to reach the Grand Final.
Building on a strong foundation
Smith reflected positively on the regular season campaign. "We got off to a great start from a good group of lads buying in, and the pleasing thing is we used our full squad throughout," he said. "Whoever I put in has done a job for us which makes my role harder when picking the team. All the boys have had an impact and we're in a good place."
On the team's defensive record, Smith highlighted the Club's emphasis on culture and doing things the right way. "We work hard on building our game around defence. As a Club we are massive on culture and doing the right things is important, not just when they're in the building, but when they're away too."
Fresh start in play-off format
The new play-off format resets all teams' records, meaning the Academy's unbeaten run counts for nothing. Smith said the squad is ready for the challenge. "We start from zero under the new format which is a challenge in itself, but we are looking forward to playing the other best teams in the competition again. It's important we continue to concentrate on ourselves while taking each game as it comes."
Smith confirmed there are areas to improve ahead of Thursday. "There's a few little things we need to tidy up, but we'll do so by looking at ourselves rather than too much on who we are playing. It's about how we can improve to make the team and performance better."
Warrington test and home advantage
Warrington will arrive as a wounded side after their previous meeting with Wigan, but Smith expects them to be at full strength. "Warrington are going to be wounded after the last time we played, but we know to expect them at their best this time so we have to be at ours. It's great for the lads to be playing these teams at this time of the year, and I'm excited to see what the group can do. We're going to have to be on, but we have to improve as well."
The Warriors have two of their three play-off matches at home. Smith stressed the importance of making Robin Park Arena a difficult place for opposition teams. "We try and make Robin Park Arena somewhere that is tough for teams to come and play, and tough for teams to beat us. It's an advantage having two of the three matches at home, and we're excited about playing in front of our fans, sponsors and families."
Focus on development
Smith's priorities extend beyond winning individual matches. "At this level it's more about the 80 minute performance rather than the result. It's about the lads developing and learning in those games where not everything is going our way and finding way to win."
He said the biggest satisfaction this year has come from seeing Academy players graduate to the First Team. "Coming from playing, it's all about winning, but my job now is to develop and push the lads so they can play First Team. The biggest buzz I've taken from this year is not so much being where we sit in the table unbeaten, but seeing lads make that First Team debut."
