Matt Peet’s glowing praise for Joel Tomkins following permanent Catalans appointment

Wigan Warriors boss Matt Peet had high praise for newly-appointed Catalans Dragons head coach Joel Tomkins, backing him to succeed in the role ahead of the pair’s Super League clash on Friday night.

Tomkins – who featured more than 230 times for Wigan during his playing career – has been in interim charge of Catalans since late May when Steve McNamara was shown the exit door at the Stade Gilbert Brutus.

With this his first-ever head coach role at senior level, the 38-year-old was handed the job on a permanent basis earlier this week with the Dragons handing him a contract until the end of 2027.

Somewhat fittingly, the Warriors were Tomkins’ first opponents in the hotseat having cantered to a 48-0 victory in Perpignan in Round 13, and they will again provide the opposition for his first game since being handed the reins on a permanent basis.

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Matt Peet’s glowing praise for Joel Tomkins following permanent Catalans appointment

Peet is someone Tomkins knows very well, with the Warriors boss the one that took him back to the club in a coaching capacity last year ahead of their quadruple-winning campaign.

The former dual-code England international was appointed as Wigan’s scholarship head coach, but also worked with the club’s academy side in an assistant role and helped out the first-team throughout the week, too.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Peet said: “I’m very proud of Joel, he’s obviously made a good impression there in the time that he’s been there as a player and a coach.

“Bernard (Guasch, owner), Neil (McIlroy, Sporting Director) and Alex (Chan, General Manager), they’re experienced and they know what they want.

“They’ve had the courage to make that decision and back their instincts, and Joel is a man who obviously knows rugby league.

“He understands what a winning club looks like and also, he understands Catalans Dragons. I wish him all the best.”

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‘I think he’s always been cut out for a leadership role and he’ll attack this full throttle’

Tomkins made more than 300 senior appearances in rugby league before hanging his boots up at the end of the 2021 campaign having donned a shirt for Widnes Vikings and Hull KR as well as both Wigan and Catalans.

Scooping five major honours across his two stints with the Warriors, including two Super League titles, he also spent circa two-and-a-half years in union with Saracens.

Ahead of Friday night’s meeting at The Brick Community Stadium, Peet added: “I think he’s always been cut out for a leadership role and he’ll attack this full throttle.

“I think it’s good that he’s fresh to coaching. Experience is great, but enthusiasm, freshness and curiosity are important as well.

“One thing about Joel is he’ll wear his heart on his sleeve and he’ll work fantastically hard.

“He’s straight talking, thoughtful, hard-working and wants to improve, similar things to what I look for in a player – he’s just a good person.

“Obviously he has rugby league knowledge, but I think it’s more about the journey he’s been on in his life, I think he’s learned a lot about himself.

“I’ve always found him someone who was willing to take on challenges with passion and enthusiasm.”

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