Matt Peet responds to Liam Byrne speculation after Hull FC name-drop

Matt Peet insists Wigan Warriors prop Liam Byrne is going nowhere. Speculation has quietly persisted that the Ireland international may depart the Brick Community Stadium during the off-season, despite remaining a regular this year.

Byrne made 23 appearances for Wigan this season, which included outings in the World Club Challenge, Challenge Cup Final and Super League Grand Final.

Despite that, there have been ongoing suggestions that Byrne may leave the Warriors. Speculation escalated on Wednesday when he was name-checked at a Hull FC fans forum, with director of rugby Richie Myler asked if he was the type of player the club would be interested in signing.

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Myler was non-committal, saying: "It's not right for us to talk about contracted players. I don't think that's right. We are probably a middle short, Fashy has an injury and we need to look to add a player in that department, but I don't want to speak to someone who is under contract, it's probably disrespectful to Wigan. A person of that person's quality is someone we'd like to add."

When approached by Rugby League Live, Wigan boss Peet insisted the Warriors had no desire for Byrne to leave.

"Liam is an important member of our squad," he said. "He's under contract for another season and he will be staying with the club until then at the very least."

Wigan have made just one new signing for 2025, drafting in highly-rated young forward George Hirst from Oldham. Mike Cooper has retired, which has seen them lose one of their senior props ahead of the new campaign.

Under new rules, Byrne will be free to negotiate with rival clubs for the 2026 season from December 1st of this year. Following the route taken by the NRL, Super League has decided that players will be free to sign for rival clubs once they are in the final year of their contracts. With Byrne contracted until the end of 2025, he falls into that category, alongside a number of other high-profile players.

Byrne, 25, debuted for Wigan as a teenager and has gone on to make 126 appearances for the club. He represented Ireland in the 2022 World Cup and has remained a mainstay in Matt Peet's team during his three seasons in charge.

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