Wigan coach makes salary cap admission as Kruise Leeming exit links addressed

Wigan Warriors boss Matt Peet admits salary cap restrictions could see Kruise Leeming leave the club permanently at the end of the season, with Huddersfield Giants his expected destination.

Leeming, who will turn 31 in September, joined Wigan ahead of the 2024 campaign from NRL outfit Gold Coast Titans.

Scooping every major honour available during his first season at The Brick Community Stadium, the veteran hooker has so far 12 tries in 57 appearances across all competitions for the Warriors.

But he was sent on a season-long loan to fellow Super League outfit Catalans Dragons ahead of 2026, and Sky Sports reported last month that he was set to depart for former club Huddersfield on a permanent basis ahead of next season.

‘Kruise is a Super League-level hooker, a first-team hooker who deserves to play big minutes’

Having penned a four-year deal as he joined the club, Leeming’s contract with Wigan runs until the end of 2027, so he would either have to arrange a release or Huddersfield would have to come to an agreement on a fee with the Warriors.

The 30-year-old, who was born in Swaziland, is a product of the Giants’ youth system and won the League Leaders’ Shield with them back in 2013.

Wigan will face Warrington Wolves in Dublin next April, and at the event in Manchester on Wednesday afternoon which officially unveiled that clash, head coach Peet was asked about Leeming departing on a permanent basis.

He said: “Potentially, I’m not sure where the conversations are up to.

“Kruise is a Super League-level hooker, a first-team hooker who deserves to play big minutes, and he is a player we’ve got a lot of respect for.

“At the moment, he is behind certain players in our team and our squad, and there is obviously a salary cap to contend with, so those conversations will remain open.

“I can’t stress enough how much I and we rate and respect Kruise and the way he’s played ever since I’ve known him really, but particularly since he signed for Wigan.”

The Cherry and Whites have made no secret of their salary cap struggles in recent months, with youth products Liam Byrne and Harvie Hill departing at the end of last year for Warrington and Hull FC having negotiated better deals.

But Peet stressed that Leeming’s potential exit is not to do with being able to get a better financial package than Wigan can offer him, saying: “This isn’t a case of more money.

“This is more like it’s very hard for any team to have Brad O’Neill and Kruise Leeming in the same squad with the way you chop your salary cap up, so it’s more testament to the quality of Brad and Kruise.”