'I'd rather him on my team than against' - Cust glad to link up with Field

There was a moment in Wigan Warriors' opening game of the 2022 Betfred Super League season where two old adversaries from their U18s days in Australia linked up to produce a spectacular try.

It came from a scrum 26 minutes into the first half when stand-off Cade Cust spied a gap behind the Hull Kingston Rovers defence and launched a kick to the left wing which full-back Jai Field raced onto to score from.

That marked the start of what has been a spectacular season so far for Field, who has rebounded from an injury-plagued first season in the Cherry and White to sit top the Man of Steel leaderboard by seven points heading into Round 11 of the regular season.

Cust, signed by Wigan from Manly Sea Eagles in the off-season, is not surprised to see his now-team-mate performing so well, remembering what the former St George Illawarra Dragons man was like as an opponent in New South Wales' SG Ball Cup during their teenage years.

"I played against him as a young bloke, so to see him going well after an injury last year, I'm really happy for him," Cust said, following a week which saw Field grab the headlines again with the game-clinching try in Wigan's 30-24 win over Salford Red Devils.

"As a half, he's someone you don't want to come up against at full-back because he's got that much speed. He's really tough to defend.

"I'd rather him on my team than against, I can tell you that much."

Cust has enjoyed a strong start to his first year with the Warriors too, being ever-present so far in a campaign which sees them level on points at the top of Super League with St Helens and a semi-final of the Betfred Challenge Cup against their old rivals on the horizon too.

The 23-year-old is enjoying being able to express himself on the