Ethan Havard’s progress praised by Wigan Warriors head coach: ‘He’s worked phenomenally hard’

The 23-year-old reinjured his hamstring during last year’s Super League Grand Final within 10 minutes of entering the field at Old Trafford.

It was Havard’s first appearance in three months after undergoing surgery on the same hamstring, but he has been sidelined ever since the 10-2 triumph over Catalans Dragons.

The England international forward has since been working hard on his rehabilitation, according to head coach Peet, and has given himself a chance of featuring for the first time this year against Hull KR after being included in the club’s 21-man squad.

Wigan travel to Craven Park for Super League Round 9, with Willie Peters’ side having claimed five wins from eight in the competition to date.

“We’ve stretched everything out to give Ethan the maximum time through each stage of his rehab,” coach Peet explained.

“He’s worked phenomenally hard, he’s in great physical shape and credit to him for his work.

“He’s been outstanding in training and built a great relationship with our strength and conditioning team, who deserve a lot of credit as well.”

Peet admits that Havard has been given extra time to prevent the same injury from reoccurring, while the Warriors also recently welcomed back duo Mike Cooper and Sam Eseh from their respective injuries, with the latter having recently headed out on a short-term loan move to Castleford Tigers.

The Wigan boss continued: “We’ve been holding Ethan back making sure that he over-delivered on his test results and that everything was the best it could possibly be to give him an opportunity to get back in the team for a sustained run.

"We wanted to get him back fitter than ever.

“In his first game, whether it’s this week or not, I won’t expect too much from him in terms of minutes.

“We’ll get the right game and we’ll look to build him in as well. But he’s a great player for us and we’re all excited to see him out there and see him enjoying his rugby.”