As pointed out in the previous post Leopards are Massive: 2026 Super League Predictions. The Wigan squad seems light, with only 21 players with any real Super League experience. At Loose Forward, Kaide Ellis was ever present, playing 31 games in the 2025 season. Although there is no natural replacement, Ellis appears to be indestructible. Why do Wigan want Oliver Partington, a player they discarded during one of Wigan's annual pay squeezes? According to Matt Shaw the answer appears to be Tom Forber. Matt Peet wants to clear the pathway blocking Forber's progress, and at 22 years old, he has only managed 18 games for Wigan.
How will a re-jigged starting squad look after the transfer? It would be assumed that Forber takes Leeming's spot on the bench as a replacement dummy-half, Partington moves to Loose Forward, and Kaide Ellis could move to either Prop or Second Row. If Ellis is in the second row, the obvious move would be to put Farrell on the bench. Liam Farrell signed a contract extension until the end of 2027, which makes it appear a bad choice for Wigan, paying top money for a bench replacement. Farrell has been creaking a little recently and at 35 years old, there is a question mark over how many games he plays in the next two years of his contract, before the inevitable move to the coaching team.
In my opinion, Kruise Leeming is a far more dangerous player than both Tom Forber and Brad O'Neill, but the Wigan way is always that defence comes first. Partington always tops the tackle charts, so Wigan may become a fortress, but with far fewer options in attack. Bevan French traditionally pulls a hamstring at some point in the season, and Wigan will suddenly look a little more toothless in attack without Leeming.
As for Catalans, I think this is a quality exchange, as they are light in the dummy-half position since Micky McIlorum moved to Hull KR. This will allow Ben Garcia to return to his natural position of Loose Forward.
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