Wigan ready to fire against St Helens in Super League derby, says Josh Charnley
Wednesday 1 April 2015 14:42, UK
Wigan plan to use the heat of the derby match against St Helens to kickstart their Super League season.
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Warriors have home advantage for the Friday afternoon fixture - which is now sold out - but are still without winger Josh Charnley who is two weeks into an expected four-week stint on the sidelines after sustaining an ankle injury in the 13-12 win over Hull FC.
The 23-year-old had previously said he was “chilled” to have Dom Manfredi fill in for him but admitted it would be hard to sit out the clash with St Helens.
Wigan are currently fifth in the table with just three wins from seven games, but Charnley says the results reflect the club’s bad habit of starting slow and finishing strong.
And the form could be turning after a resounding 52-10 win over bottom-of-the-table Wakefield last week.
“We’ve had a slow start to the season but the boys have come off a good win at the weekend so hopefully we can carry that confidence into this weekend,” Charnley told Sky Sports HQ.
“We’ve had that for the past two or three years, we’ve started slow, and gradually got better. We’ve got a few new signings this year who are slowly but surely getting used to the structures that we play but we’re missing a few key players like Sean O'Loughlin.
"Once they’re back we should hopefully start to tick over and start winning some more games.”
The club are also keeping a close eye on former Wigan full-back Sam Tomkins, who is reportedly suffering from homesickness as he plays with the New Zealand Warriors in Australia’s NRL.
“It would be great for Sam to come back,” Charnley said.
“He’s a Wigan boy at heart and he’s been with us ever since he was a youngster, so I think if he was going to come back, he would only come back to Wigan.”
Commenting on Kevin Sinfield’s switch to rugby union, Charnley said the news came as a surprise.
“I think it’s a new chapter for him in his life so when he switches it will be good for the new squad because he is a true professional.
“They’ll want to do a lot for Kev: he’s done a lot for the club so they owe him a little bit back so hopefully they’ll finish on a high for him.”
The three highest club attendances in Super League history have all come at the DW Stadium and this game will add another Wigan crowd to that list after the last few remaining tickets were sold.
Wigan marketing director Simon Collinson said: "It is fantastic news that this traditional Good Friday fixture between Wigan and St Helens is a sell out. It goes without saying that this is the biggest derby in rugby league and the response from both sets of fans has once again been incredible.
“The crowd befits this massive game and there will undoubtedly be a tremendous atmosphere at the DW Stadium. Fans are advised to arrive as early as possible with a magnificent line-up of pre-match entertainment organised and set to be announced shortly."
Watch Wigan Warriors v St Helens live on Sky Sports 1 on Good Friday from 2.45pm
