transfer news.: Wigan Warriors’ position on Ryan Hampshire has been made clear

The Wigan Warriors are a talented team, and their depth has been a major contributor to their recent success. Their half-back combination of Harry Smith and Bevan French is among the best in Super League.

Wigan’s victorious teams in the World Club Challenge and Super League have included Smith and French as essential members. Both French and Smith have long-term contracts in place; French signed a new four-year deal in April 2024, while Smith committed to a five-year pact in 2023.

Ryan Hampshire has so had difficulty making the first squad. Prior to the 2023 season, Hampshire made his way back to Wigan, however he has only made six appearances since then. In the weekend’s action, he scored twice against the Castleford Tigers.

Immediate future is with Wigan Warriors

The agreement with Hampshire ends at the end of 2024. In recent days, the Super League transfer market has exploded, and Hampshire has been connected to a move away to play rugby for the first team.

But in an interview with Wigan Today, Peet restated that Hampshire is still very much on his 2024 agenda. In order to become match-fit, the Wigan coach affirmed that he would only approve a temporary loan.

According to Peet, Ryan always lines up next to our full-back and half-backs in our current lineup.
Because he is a luxury for us to have as a backup to our spine players, we must exercise caution if we ever allow him to go out for a lengthy period of time.

“To keep him fresh or fit, we might let him go out for a few weeks at times, but for the most part of the season, Ryan will probably play in the reserves or first team.”

Squad management is essential to winning awards.
This season, Wigan is still competitive on all fronts. On a historic night in February, they triumphed against the Penrith Panthers, the NRL Champions, to win the World Club Challenge. Wigan has advanced to the Challenge Cup semifinals and is presently ranked third in Super League.

Peet thinks that with the club still facing many obstacles, squad management is essential.

Hampshire seems to have a significant part to play in Wigan’s remaining games as a result.

It appears that he will only leave the team under extraordinary circumstances. His two tries against the Castleford Tigers served as a wonderful illustration of the quality that Hampshire still possesses as well as Wigan’s depth.