Wigan coach makes plea to RFL over controversial match limits policy

Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet has urged the Rugby Football League to trust clubs in regards to managing players’ minutes as the debate continues over the governing body’s match limits policy.

All Super League clubs are being monitored to see how many minutes their players feature in a given 12-month period, with different limits for different players based on their age and position.

The likes of Junior Nsemba and Liam Farrell are already close to their limits for this year and would need standing down at some stage. However, the RFL will not rigidly enforce the policy this year or punish clubs who do not adhere to it – though it will be introduced for 2026.

But Peet admitted during his pre-match press conference earlier this week that he feels clubs should be given the responsibility to look after their players.

“I think the clubs, we all would like to freshen up our teams, of course we would,” he said.

“You’ve got two examples there, Liam, an older player who we’d like to keep fresh ready for the games.

“Junior is someone we want to look after for the long-term and get his body right but they’re both playing well in a winning team, they’ve both had some time off so far this season, we look after them as far as their training load.

“For me, I understand the rationale behind it but, as clubs and coaches and performances teams, that’s our skillset, knowing when to select people and when not to select people, and developing young players which, clubs like ourselves, Leeds, St Helens, Warrington, with the track records we’ve got, we should be trusted to look after our players’ long-term development.

“I like the way the RFL have gone about it, they’ve highlighted it, they’ve given us guidance, but ultimately, the plan and strategy are driven by us.”

Love Rugby League revealed last month which players are in danger of going over their allocated limits for the season. The list includes Leigh half-back Lachlan Lam, Nsemba and Hull winger Lewis Martin.

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