Gildart turns focus to dream of reaching Wembley

Wigan overcame an admittedly weakened Rhinos side 34-0 in their last game before facing Salford in this weekend’s semi-final.

And Gildart, who scored two tries against Leeds, is hoping to finally get to Wembley so he can emulate his dad Ian, and complete his set of domestic winner’s medals.

“It’s on the back of your mind how much a big game next week is but we were looking for a performance (against Leeds) and we did get that,” he said.

“We can build on that into next week.

“Going to Wembley is something I’ve always dreamed of doing and I got cut short last year by one game so I’m really looking forward to next week.

“I managed to get a Grand Final and a World Club Challenge so the only one for me now is Wembley.

“It’s a bit close to home as my dad’s been there and done it.”

Last year’s 16-12 loss to Hull in the last four at Doncaster left a bitter taste for Gildart, and the 20-year-old admitted Wigan will have to make sure they leave no stone unturned for Sunday’s clash with Salford.

“I got a taste last year against Hull and I was very disappointed,” he said.

“A couple of basic errors cost us on that day but it’s rugby and you’ve got to prepare for next week and make sure everything goes our way.

“(But Salford) have to turn up good. It’s a massive game and we’ve been off with our performances too recently.”

Gildart thinks the win over Leeds will serve as a good first step to preparing for Sunday’s semi-final which kicks off at 2.30pm and will be shown on BBC2.

“We were really looking for the perfect performance. In attack we needed to be crisp and I thought we were,” he explained.

“Defensively we needed to be brutal and I thought we were so it was a great effort.

“The win will will give us a load of confidence for that and the rest of the season.”

Meanwhile, Wigan’s Connor Farrell has joined Featherstone Rovers on loan until the end of the season, but it looks like the forward will be seeking a permanent move.

The 23-year-old brother of Warriors forward Liam tweeted: “My time at Wigan has come to an end but I can’t wait to get started.”

Wigan under-19s secured top spot with two games to spare last weekend with a 58-24 win over Warrington Wolves.