Sam Eseh opens up on first 12 months at Wigan Warriors, loan spells and special Leeds Rhinos debut

And more than that, the 21-year-old prop wants to establish himself as a regular under Matt Peet after loan spells at Castleford Tigers, Hull FC and Leeds Rhinos last season.

Eseh made five appearances for his hometown club Leeds in 2024 - making his first in the emotional match tributed to rugby league legend Rob Burrow on Motor Neurone Disease Awareness Day.

The Rhinos claimed an 18-10 victory at Headingley Stadium over Leigh Leopards in Round 15 as the rugby league community paid tribute to Burrow.

Eseh started in three of his five appearances for the Rhinos, picking up as many wins and impressed during his short stint in West Yorkshire.

“It was very good. They’re obviously a big club and my first game was the Rob Burrow tribute game, so that was a really emotional game,” Eseh told Wigan Today.

“I probably didn’t reflect on it as much until after the season, about how my first game was such an important game and such a big tribute for a giant of the game.

“I loved every minute of my time at Leeds and I enjoyed getting some Super League games.”

After also battling with a hamstring injury in the early stages of 2024, Eseh is hoping that the extra Super League experiences have put him in the frame to make Peet’s match day 17 next year.

The former Wakefield prop was among the first group to report back to Robin Park Arena for pre-season training ahead of another title-defending campaign, alongside the likes of Sam Walters, Tyler Dupree and Tiaki Chan.

He said: “It’s a rollercoaster. I obviously didn’t have the best start with getting injured, but towards the back end of the season I started playing a few Super League games.

“Obviously the goal is to play for Wigan, but I got the chance to play some Super League games and get some more experience under my belt.

“I’m hoping it'll put me in good stead going into next season.

“I always say, the goal is to play for Wigan. I want to be a regular Super League player at Wigan Warriors. It was a privilege to play Super League out on loan, but at the end of the day, I want to play for Wigan.”

The reigning champions hosted their annual Night Under the Lights event on Tuesday at Robin Park, in support of The Brick. Wigan became the first rugby league club to support The Multibank UK for its Christmas campaign, designed to raise awareness, and respond to the rising issues of hygiene poverty amongst young people.

Asked to donate hygiene products, supporters, with around 1,000 in attendance, were also invited to participate in activities with first-team players, as well as a chance to grab autographs and pictures.

“It’s really good. A massive thing about Wigan Warriors is that they always give back to the community,” Eseh added.

“Fans have got to meet players, see the facilities and also have some fun whilst playing rugby, wheelchair rugby and some skill games. It’s good.”