Wigan won their match, which was their second of three in a span of nine days, and returned to the top of the Super League. considering the extent of the first half’s devastation.
Wigan led 22-0 at halftime after to tries from Junior Nsemba, Jake Wardle, Adam Keighran, and Paddy Mago.
Much closer play was seen in the second period, with Lachlan Lam answering for Leigh and Wigan’s fifth try coming from Harvie Hill just before the hour.
For the final twenty minutes, game management was the rule, but Peet denied that it was an easy victory.
Peet remarked, “I would never say any win was routine.” “I knew going into the game that we would be up against a formidable Leigh squad that has been playing really well.
“We haven’t been firing lately, as everyone keeps reminding us, but I was encouraged by our early success.
“I’m sure Leigh would do things differently if they had their time over again, but I felt like we put some pressure on ourselves via our own play and scored a couple points.
“Given the short turnarounds, I thought exerting energy early in the game would pay off, even if I didn’t anticipate it would be by such a large margin.
“I believed that either team would find it difficult to overturn a deficit or win an energy war after falling behind.
“However, striving to win the energy struggle before a game is a fairly typical debate.
“I just thought we looked after the ball better, if you look at our completion rate in that first half, compared to the last couple of games, it was like chalk and cheese.”
Jai Field was not risked in his comeback from injury against Huddersfield last weekend, thus Wigan was shorthanded.
“If you look after the ball and commit to the plan, it kind of takes care of itself,” Peet stated. “Jai Field’s presence doesn’t really matter if you’re not finishing.
“I just thought we played a very simple game, were disciplined in what we did, and fortunately we’ve got some decent players to put away the opportunities we had.”
The fixture – rearranged from round two, to accommodate the World Club Challenge – was Wigan’s second of three in the space of nine days.
With former Wigan man Jack Hughes in the sin-bin inside 10 minutes, the Warriors took full advantage as Nsemba barged his way over, before Wardle exchanged passes with Liam Marshall before crossing in the left-hand corner.
Keighran missed the second conversion, but made amends by notching Wigan’s third try after a great step, and Mago’s touchdown just before the break – and Keighran’s third goal – meant Leigh had a mountain to climb.
Praise the Leopards for their outstanding comeback, which included Lam diving over five minutes after the restart and Darnell McIntosh scoring. They were supported by a boisterous crowd behind the goal posts.
But Hill made a brilliant play to dive on a loose ball as a prop, and Keighran’s sixth goal put them up 28–6.
The video referee determined that McIntosh lost possession of the ball as he skillfully finished in the right corner, denying Leigh a second opportunity.
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