Wigan Warriors have dropped Zak Hardaker from contention this week because he has “failed to meet some of our standards off the field”, says head coach Matt Peet.
The outside back was a surprise omission from Wigan’s 21-man squad to travel to St Helens for the Good Friday derby.
Peet has confirmed that Hardaker’s absence was not due to an injury but an off-field issue, though he declined to comment further on the nature of it.
“He’s failed to meet some of our standards off the field,” said Peet. “He’s reacted well since being told that and remains very much part of our plans. He might feature next week but not this week.
“We’ll keep it in house. It’s been dealt with quite swiftly, openly and honestly. Zak is disappointed not to be involved but he understands.
“Me and Zak have a good relationship, he understands where we’re at. We deal with it and we move forward.
“Zak is part of the team. We care for him but we’ve got to protect the team first.
“It’s not so much disciplinary but he’s below some of the standards the team set for themselves which Zak is well aware of. He’s a big part of the meetings where we drive of our culture.”
Meanwhile, Iain Thornley has been ruled out for several weeks with a shoulder injury suffered in the Warriors’ Challenge Cup quarter-final victory at Wakefield Trinity last weekend.
