Wane “immensely proud” of Wigan youngsters

Wigan coach Shaun Wane says he is “immensely proud” of how his youngsters have stepped up to the plate during the Warriors’ injury problems this season.

The likes of Dom Crosby, Greg Burke, Sam Powell and Tom Spencer have all put their hands up for the first team in 2013, joining a fine line of academy products at Wane’s disposal.

Having been written off by many in the build up to the new season after losing several key players at the end of 2012, Wigan currently sit top of Super League.

Wane said: “We’ve had some major problems this season, especially in the middle.

“There’s a chance that (Lee) Mossop and (Harrison) Hansen will be back this weekend, and it’ll be very welcoming for me, because I’m pushing these younger players more than what I would like to.

“But I’ve been really pleased and immensely proud of the youngsters coming in, and I’m confident that the future of our club is in really good hands.

“You know when you’ve got good kids like this, and I mean kids – the pack that finished the game last weekend had an average age of 22, which is really young – but it shows that our club is going to be in really good hands for many years to come.”

Wane is hopeful that Josh Charnley will be fit to return for this weekend’s game against Bradford, while Sean O’Loughlin and Pat Richards will also be back in the squad.