From his BMX to the penalty chargedown, 10 golden Gelling moments

1. Gelling had a unique solution to avoiding the traffic on Good Friday – he pedalled to the DW Stadium on a BMX bike!

He had bought it from Cash Converters days earlier.

And on his way home, he even gatecrashed a house party – the revellers posting a picture with their uninvited, but welcomed, guest on social media.

2. When the 2015 World Club Series showdown with Brisbane went into extra-time, Corey Parker won the match with a late penalty – but only after Gelling had charged down his first attempt!

The Kiwi didn’t even wait for the yellow card to be produced before he started trotting towards the sidelines.

3. He was sinbinned in the Challenge Cup semi-final this year, for heading a ball away to deliberately stop Salford getting a quick tap.

He later posted a joke video of himself wearing a neck brace saying the player who’d thrown the ball should have been sent off!

“You cannot walk around with your head down so I decided to have a laugh,” he later quipped. “And it was a safety precaution!”

4. Gelling completed a diploma in film and video production while at Wigan, and used his skills to make several comical gems.

One showed him burying his dead plant - his younger brother co-starred - and another illustrated his dislike for video referees as he imagined how some of sport’s iconic moments would have played out with video officials.

5. He also starred in a parody - posted on Wigan’s YouTube channel - of Chris Sandow’s ‘Smash the pies’ PR stunt.

It was released just after Wigan’s 28-0 thrashing of the Wolves at the HJ Stadium.

6. Gelling used his video skills to showcase his rapping ability, too. A video – entitled ‘The everyday struggle of life in the carpool’ – poked fun at Ryan Sutton, and had more than 100,000 views on Facebook. He rapped on Wigan’s charity Wembley single earlier this year.

7. A televised quip became a chant for the fans and a slogan for T-shirts.

When Sky Sports apologised for him swearing on air, Gelling replied: “I’m speaking for everyone. I consider myself a ‘Man of the People’.”

8. Last year, the player who once posed in the gym wearing regal attire celebrated Wigan’s Grand Final success by posing in an inflatable crown.

Some of his most memorable try-celebrations were his six-gun salute at Warrington, hushing St Helens after a hat-trick in a 25-0 derby win and falling on his back after a match-sealing try against Hull FC in last year’s play-offs.

9. His mate Matty Russell revealed how Gelling rescued an old hot-tub from the scrapheap at Orrell... and decided to install it behind his home! He referred to himself and Greg Burke as the ‘Beech Hill bad-boys’.

10. Gelling had several comic moments on Twitter, including the descriptions of his team-mates when he took over the club’s account for a match.

He described Dom Manfredi as being “tougher than algebra” while Sam Powell “looks like an altar boy but hits like a nun’s paddle!”