Liam Byrne reflects on Wigan Warriors highlights after hitting major milestone: ‘Beyond my wildest dreams’

The 26-year-old officially joined Wigan’s 150 club on Saturday, with Byrne starting in the front-row alongside fellow academy product Harvie Hill.

"It was amazing,” Byrne told the Wigan Observer. “It was a good place to come, I really enjoy playing at Catalans, it is an amazing feeling to get my 150th for this club.

“You interviewed me a long time ago when I first came here, so it’s been a long journey and a very enjoyable one, so it was a great feeling tonight.

“I think growing up, and probably coming into an academy system quite late, it’s beyond my wildest dreams, especially for a club like Wigan.

"It’s unbelievable, but I feel so lucky, and thanks go to my family, the lads, the coaches and the club.”

The Ireland international, who played his junior rugby for Cadishead Rhinos, has had to work hard in his rise to the top, having to make quite the journey to and from Warriors training during his academy days – but he was determined to fulfil his dream.

"I took my bike a couple of times, but normally I got a lift to my local train station, and then I’d get a train into Manchester and then a train to Salford Crescent and then a train to Pemberton, then I’d have to walk through Norley Hall to get to Central Park for academy training,” Byrne smiled.

"I don’t miss those journeys! There were some tough days, but it was all worth it. There were some questions I had to ask myself during those days. It was tough, but I’m glad that I stuck it out and stuck with it.”

So, what are Byrne’s Wigan highlights since making his first-team debut back in 2019?

"I’d probably say Challenge Cup at Spurs in 2022,” said Byrne, who represented Ireland at the last World Cup in 2022. “That was a big one for me, it was my first piece of silverware and then probably the Grand Final last year, I’d grown up not far from Old Trafford, and that was a place I’d always dreamed of playing in, so that was a big one for me.”