Wigan Warriors column: Liam Farrell's magnificent milestone, key contract renewals and deserved debutants
Liam Farrell will cement his status as a genuine great of Wigan Warriors this weekend when he makes his 400th appearance for his hometown club.
The 35-year-old will join an exclusive club in Saturday afternoon’s clash with Hull FC at the Brick Community Stadium, when he plays game number 400 for his beloved Wigan.
What more can be said about Farrell and his achievements within the game? We regularly run out of superlatives to describe him.
Without being disrespectful, the Wigan-born forward has a rugby league CV that most players could only ever dream of, with six Super League titles, five League Leaders’ Shields, four Challenge Cups and two World Club Challenge titles to his name.
Oh, and let’s not forget to mention his six inclusions in the Super League Dream Team (2015, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023), as well as his 12 caps for England on the international stage.
When you think of Wigan Warriors, you think of Liam Farrell. He has been part of the club’s furniture ever since making his debut under then-coach Michael Maguire in 2010.
A cousin of Andy Farrell and playing his junior rugby for Wigan St Patricks, it was almost destined for Liam to make his own name in the famous cherry and white jersey, and it has been through sheer hard work and determination to become one of the greatest back-rowers that Super League has seen.
How fitting was it for his younger brother, Connor Farrell, to also come through the famed Wigan system and go on to represent the first-team, too? It’s certainly in the DNA.
Liam is a big part of The Wigan Way, the culture we hear so often about. A tremendous player on the field, but a top bloke away from it.
Congratulations to Liam and his family ahead of this weekend’s momentous occasion. It is thoroughly deserved, and he is contracted until 2027 too, so we may even see him hit 450 appearances before he hangs up his boots!
Anyway, let’s reflect on last week’s 30-10 win over Huddersfield. A below-par first half performance, but the Warriors gained momentum towards the backend of the first 40, and whatever coach Matt Peet said at half-time certainly worked, with the Warriors scoring 30 unanswered points in the second stanza to claim the two points.
Cross-code signing Christian Wade also made his Super League debut after featuring in two games for the Reserves.
The former British and Irish Lions representative made a couple of errors in the first half, but the sign of a champion player is that he didn’t let that affect him. He produced a number of strong carries in the second half and even got on the scoresheet, which would have done his confidence the world of good.
Wade is obviously raw when it comes to rugby league, but you could clearly see his talent. It’s going to be some sight when we get to see him in full flight.
It’d be remiss of me not to mention Harvey Makin, who became the 14th academy product to feature in Peet’s line-up this year. The 21-year-old prop came off the bench for the last 15 minutes in the win over Huddersfield.
Makin has been close to making his debut a couple of times, having been involved in Peet’s 21-man squad on countless occasions, so it was good to see him earn his heritage number, which he will have for the rest of his life.
The Warriors also announced two pieces of contract news last week. Adam Keighran has committed his future until at least the end of 2028, whilst highly-rated hooker Tom Forber has put pen to paper on a new five-year deal.
Keighran’s retention is brilliant news for Wigan. The Australian centre is one of the most accurate goal-kickers in Super League, and he has been in stellar form this year.
Meanwhile, hooker Forber has had to be patient for a chance in the matchday line-up, given the fact that he is behind Brad O’Neill and Kruise Leeming in the pecking order, but he is a massive talent player who is highly regarded by his teammates and coaches.
The 22-year-old had a decent run in Peet’s side last season and played in their win over Hull KR in the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford. He is already a Super League-ready player, but he will play a key role in Wigan’s long-term future, you suspect.
Let’s move on to Saturday's clash with Hull FC at the Brick. Wigan are building at the moment, you sense they have another couple of gears in them, and we’ve seen over the last few seasons under Peet that they really show what they’re made of in the backend of the season.
But make no mistake about it, they are going to have to be on their A game if they are to beat Hull, who have come on leaps and bounds under Australian coach John Cartwright.
Hull have a quality side on paper, and they’ve picked up some big wins on the road this season. I think we’re in for a cracker this weekend.
Whilst I started this column with a milestone tribute, I’ll end it with one, too. Holly Speakman made history last weekend as she became the first player to hit 100 appearances for the Warriors Women in their 76-0 demolition of Huddersfield.
The 41-year-old prop was part of the inaugural Warriors Women’s squad in 2018, helping them win the Women’s Super League Grand Final in their maiden campaign.
And last month, she helped her hometown club lift the Challenge Cup under the famous Wembley arch. Bravo, Holly!