Wane believes Tomkins can help Tierney at Wigan

Wigan coach Shaun Wane believes that the return of Sam Tomkins to the club can help the Warriors’ young players like Lewis Tierney.

Tomkins is returning to Lancashire after two years in the NRL with the New Zealand Warriors, though he will not be available until around Easter due to injury.

“He’s a player that understands our culture, understands me, understands the way we play and brings a lot to the club,” Wane told his club’s official website.

“He’s a great professional who is very competitive, he trains really well and understands the game. He’ll be great for our younger players.

“It seems weird saying that about Sam now because I remember him as a 13-year-old kid but he’s a great role model for the likes of Lewis Tierney now and our younger players will learn a lot from working with someone like Sam everyday.”

Tomkins has undergone an operation on the knee injury which kept him out of England‘s victorious Test series with New Zealand.

Wane feels that the operation will mean that fans see the best of Tomkins when he returns.

“I watched Sam many times last year and he wasn’t at his best because he wasn’t right, now we’ve got him right,” he added.

“I’m happy to have it sorted and look forward to when he comes back.

“I’m also looking forward to giving Lewis Tierney a chance.

“He’s been very loyal to us, very patient, he’s trained really well and is a great kid with a great attitude and a very good player too so I’m looking forward to seeing him play.

“I’ve also got Dan Sarginson, Josh Charnley and Anthony Gelling who can all play there so we’re covered but Lewis is going to get the first chance and he fully deserves it.”