The Wigan Warriors are preparing for their new era with military precision this week after a two-day preparatory camp with the British Army.
Head coach Matty Peet is eager to find and develop aspiring leaders in his roster after taking the reins late last season.
Peet has replaced Adrian Lam as top boss and a newly designed coaching team will support him from Sean O’Loughlin and Lee Briers with Shaun Wane as executive and management director.
Peet’s men spent two days at Altcar Training Camp near Formby doing a variety of leadership and team building tasks.
“There’s the leadership aspect, but it’s also about developing strong communication skills and being a good follower too,” Peet told Rugby League Live.
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“Everyone was given the opportunity to lead in different situations, but it was also about giving information and listening.
“We thought it was a great opportunity to immerse ourselves in a new environment off-site and bring the team together.”
Peet said his troops responded positively to the challenges they faced during the two-day stay.
“There were physical and non-physical leadership roles,” he explained.
“Some of them were related to mental aptitude tests or code cracking, problem solving, and traversing minefields.
“They used a variety of gadgets to solve specific problems and physical leadership challenges, such as an assault course, hostage evacuation scenario, and stretcher runs.”
Peet’s men were approached by various members of the British military, including the Gurkha Regiment and Sergeant Rick Clement.
He served in the Duke of Lancaster’s regiment for 16 years until an operational injury in Afghanistan ended his army career.
Sergeant Clement had been flown home from Afghanistan, one leg missing from the hip, the other torn a little lower and with devastating damage to genitals and intestines.
He only had a one in 50 chance of getting through, and Peet said Clement’s story was inspiring.
He continued, “It was inspiring and the players were also working on the Formby sand dunes so they really did a lot.
“Basically it was two days and one night and we had a seated silver service dinner with the British Army playing a Fijian haka and songs.
“We really squeezed a lot together in a short amount of time, so it wasn’t about just going over there and mindlessly whipping her.
“It was about putting the players in a situation where they have to cooperate, communicate and work together.
“It’s really just about accelerating cohesion, so of course we hope to reap the benefits during the season.”
