Liam Byrne was a rare unused interchange in the recent 24-20 victory over Hull KR – but head coach Matt Peet insists the prop has been building his form, and only ‘off-plan’ tactics saw him remain on the bench for the full encounter last Friday.
It was powerhouse forward Patrick Mago who grabbed the headlines with his dominant 14-minute display from the bench, earning the official player of the match award as he helped the Cherry and Whites overturn a 20-8 deficit to beat their newest Super League rivals and claim top spot on the table.
England international Tyler Dupree also made a positive impact from the bench, while young hooker Tom Forber has grabbed his recent opportunities in the first-team with Brad O’Neill sidelined due to a season-ending ACL blow.
“The plan was to utilise Liam – but you don’t always stick to the plan as a coach,” Peet explained midweek.
“There were reasons in the first half why I didn’t make as many changes, and then once we went behind and we needed to change the flow of the game, I thought Patrick and Tyler (Dupree) between the two of them could best make that impact.
“That’s just my decision, and consulting the coaches. It was a bit off-plan, the way we went about our interchanges last week, but I think you’ve got to be willing to do that across the season.”
Despite going unused, the Warriors boss insists that Byrne’s performances had been building in the weeks prior to the thrilling Round 25 clash, and expects the Ireland international to continue growing amid the business end of the campaign.
Peet has named an unchanged 21-man squad to face Leeds Rhinos in the penultimate game of the regular season, with the likes of Byrne, Sam Walters and Harvie Hill competing for a place in the match day 17.
“I think Liam’s form has certainly been building as the year has gone on,” Peet added.
“There have been a few things going against him with injuries and suspension, but I actually thought his two or three games going into last weekend, he’s gotten better and better.
“I think he just needs to keep building.”
