Wane nominates five best Aussies he has seen at Wigan

Pat Richards playing in a touch rugby game last Saturday

Here, Shaun Wane picks out the five best Aussie players he has seen at Wigan...

Brett Kenny

“I was lucky enough to play alongside him. He loved the town, fitted in well and was an exceptional player.

“Even when he was under pressure, he had a way of looking like he had all the time in the world. Very talented, very silky, and it’s been good to catch up with him on the trip.”

John Ferguson

“He only had a short stint with Wigan, but what he did in that time was unbelievable. We’ve tried to get hold of him for our Legends night and couldn’t, which is a shame... though if someone had said there’d be one Australian we couldn’t track down, I’d have guessed it’d be him!”

Steve Ella

“He was very talented and ultra-competitive, and what made ZipZip so good was the way he fitted in with the Wigan way. He was, and is, an all-round good guy – we keep in touch by email and I’ve met up with him there, and he’s been over here.”

Trent Barrett

“I wish I’d had the chance to coach him. I was the academy coach when he was here, he always gave me the time of day and since then I’ve picked his brains about the NRL.

“When we played Sydney Roosters in 2014, he presented the jerseys, and speaking to him on this tour it’s obvious how much he enjoyed his time at the club.

“What he did in his two years with Wigan was outstanding, and a great example of how to play in the halves – he had the skills and the leadership, but he could defend tough, too.”

Pat Richards

“One of the best kickers I’ve ever seen, anywhere – I can’t think of anyone else who’d even try his drop-goal at Saints from the touchline, let alone get it!

“The fact he has a room named after him at our training base tells you how much he means to us. And the fact he spent eight years with Wigan, at the prime of his career, tells you how much he loved the club.

“He’s an outstanding athlete, a freak of a player, and he was hard, too. As a big man there was a lot for defenders to hit, but he didn’t shirk the work. I loved coaching him and I was made up he was able to leave the club with the double in 2013.”