Feng shui, homework and visualisation - Inside Matt Peet's remarkable Wigan Warriors turnaround

A few weeks before the Super League season Wigan Warriors held an access all areas media day. One thing more than anything sticks with me from that day, a comment made by someone within the four walls of Robin Park.

The person in question will remain anonymous but they told me assertively that Matt Peet was the best coach they had ever encountered. They reeled off several names; John Lowe, Michael Maguire, Shaun Wane, but insisted Peet was the superior of them all.

Unsurprisingly, it was a comment that took me aback. After all, this was a man who had yet to coach a single game at a professional level. There was no foundation whatsoever, not from the outside, to make such a bold claim.

A few weeks later I was back at Robin Park at the discretion of Peet himself, who had kindly offered up an opportunity to effectively shadow him for the day. Intrigued, I went. Departing, I was probably more intrigued than I was when I arrived.

Three major things stood out that day. Undoubtedly, it was his attention to detail. And by that, not so much the tactical and technical prowess but more how far he goes to understand his players, how to build cohesion between them and how to optimise their happiness.

A few examples of this follow. At the start of every day after breakfast, the group is asked a question. On this occasion, players were asked to share with the group a time when they had been scared. What followed was a mixture of tragic and light-hearted stories that had the group at times hysterical and at others deep in thought.

Curious about the motive, I asked. Peet explained it was done to ensure his players got to know their teammates beyond rugby league, to give them conversation starters that would help build personal