Sam Powell reveals impact of new captain Thomas Leuluai

Sam Powell revealed how Thomas Leuluai is already making his mark as the new captain.
Sam PowellSam Powell
Sam Powell

Wigan edged a derby with Leigh 20-18, but had to battle back from 18-0 down after half an hour.

And Powell says Leuluai’s rocket behind the posts was the catalyst for their resurgence which saw them post two tries before half-time and two after the break, without conceding any more points.

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“It wasn’t a complicated fix, it took some words from our new captain,” he said.

“It was more of an attitude, more of a ‘We’re in a game, let’s sort it out’.

“There were some good chunks in the second half were we showed what we want to do as a team.”

Powell received the maximum three points on the Man of Steel leaderboard after a tireless display in which he racked up 65 tackles - just seven short of Morgan Smithies’ Super League record.

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“He’s well ahead of me there, I just got into the rhythm of a game and you don’t realise the number until someone tells you,” he said.

“I’m used to playing 80 minutes.

“One of the strengths of my game is I’d like to think I get better as a game goes on and stay strong until the end.”

Wigan are looking to maintain their winning start when they take on Wakefield this evening in a behind-closed-doors game at St Helens, kick-off 6pm.

“We expect to win ourselves but we know it will be a very tough game,” said Powell.

“They like to throw the ball around and challenge you.

“I think this will be a different challenge – if we let them get ahead they’ll be tougher to pull back.”

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