Morgan Smithies excited to get back on the pitch

Wigan forward Morgan Smithies has said he cannot wait to get back out on the pitch ahead of the 2022 season.

The Warriors have two pre-season matches to look forward to away to Newcastle and Warrington in the coming weeks. Their Super League campaign then gets underway when they travel to Hull KR.

They head into the new season under Matt Peet, who replaced Adrian Lam in charge. He will be hoping to build on the Warriors’ fourth place.

On a personal level, Smithies made 19 appearances for the club in 2021, starting all but one of those fixtures. In 2020, he also appeared in the Super League Grand Final. He came off the bench in their defeat against St Helens.

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Smithies told WiganTV: “That’s the good thing about coming back after Christmas. You have the games to look forward to.

“You only have a few weeks worth of training and then we are into games, which everyone is buzzing for. I can’t wait to get back out there with the lads.”

Smithies praises new signings

To prepare for the 2022 season, Wigan have brought in Cade Cust, Iain Thornley, Patrick Mago, Kaide Ellis, Abbas Miski and Ramon Silva.

They replace outgoings like Oliver Gildart, Jackson Hastings, Joe Bullock, Chris Hankinson and Amir Bourouh at the club.

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Smithies has praised the impact of the new signings on the team.

He added: “It’s been good from the start. We have had a few new faces, a few Aussies coming over. But the team has bonded well.

“Everyone gets on, and we cannot wait to get back out there now.”

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