Wakefield 10 Wigan 16: Five things we learned

1. Shaun Wane not only has a perfect Good Friday run, but his Easter Monday track record is admirable, too.

Wigan have lost just one of the ‘second Easter’ games under his watch - at Salford two years ago.

Maybe Wigan do a better job with recovery and preparation, or maybe Wane’s enthusiasm for playing two games rubs off - perhaps the coaches who moan about the punishing schedule give them a pre-emptive excuse.

2. The quick turnaround, though, is clearly tough on the players and as a consequence, Easter Monday games can often be scrappy.

This was no exception.

Both sides turned over plenty of balls and combinations weren’t as crisp - even if the spills, half-chances and tight scoreline kept things strangely entertaining.

Morgan Escare celebrated his new deal with the pick of the tries, collecting George Williams’ sweet pass, turning on the afterburners and ghosting beyond Scott Grix.

3. The game, though, remained in the balance until Liam Marshall crossed in the 77th minute.

Until then, Wigan had a slender 12-10 lead - which they had established by half-time - but breathed a little easy once Marshall arced over.

The 20-year-old, remarkably, was training to be an accountant 12 months ago - now he has nine tries in seven matches.

And Tom Davies, on the other wing, may not have been as prolific but he is doing a fine job, particularly when it comes to eating up the metres with his early carries. Neither look out of place in a star-studded side.

4. Anthony Gelling celebrated his 100th Wigan appearance like only he can - with a specially-written rap song and a yellow card!

He posted the rap, accompanying a highlights video of his 99 previous games, on his Facebook page. Included was the lyric: “I’m grateful for the opportunity, George Carmont and Darrell Goulding handed down this torch to me to keep the flame burning bright.”

The self-anointed Man of the People had a solid 100th outing, even if he was yellow-carded at the end of the first-half for a dangerous tackle. It was a big milestone for Thomas Leuluai, too, celebrating his 200th game for the club - in the city where he used to go to primary school, when his dad James played at Wakefield.

5. On Wakefield, they look a safe bet to secure another top-eight berth before the season splits in July for the Super-8s phase. Their forwards were physical and aggressive, Liam Finn is a smart halfback, and they have pace in the outside backs. Trinity coach Chris Chester has done a fine job.