Wigan Warriors: The 18th Man - 'Hull KR were the better team on the night...'
Our panel of Warriors experts run the rule over the defeat to Hull KR in the Super League Grand Final and the 2025 campaign overall...
David Bailey:
After the highs of 2024, we now experience the lows of 2025. Let’s be honest, barring a dazzling hour against Warrington in Vegas, Wigan haven’t looked anything like the dominant force of last season.
Matt Peet often talks about big games and moments, and unfortunately, every big moment went against Wigan in the Grand Final.
For the first quarter, the Warriors were comfortable. Had Liam Farrell held on to that inside flick from Bevan French, or if French managed to ground the ball from Liam Marshall’s cross-field kick, moments that have been bread and butter under Peet’s reign, then the final would have been a different story.
Brad O’Neill’s tip tackle tilted the game into KR’s favour, and they never looked back. Even when Wigan got back into contention with Adam Keighran’s penalty goal and Harry Smith’s try, Wigan managed to unravel their hard work with a series of unforced errors.
Hull KR were the better team on the night and have been the better team all season.
Whilst sad not to get the Grand Final and miss out on a blockbuster World Club Challenge v Brisbane, it was nice to see Joe Burgess finally get a Grand Final win, and pleasing for Oli Gildart, Tom Davies, and the retiring Micky McIlorum.
I think Neil Hudgell deserves a lot of credit, too. When Ian Lenagan, the man who made Wigan what they are currently, stepped down, Hudgell drove from the East Riding of Yorkshire and presented Lenagan with some framed photos of his first game at Hull KR – such was the bond between the two men. It’s important to remember Hull KR are allies in the grand scheme of the sport.
I am sure the off-season will feel like forever for fans and players alike. One thing Peet prides himself on, though, is learning and developing.
It may feel like the end of the world to hand over the Challenge Cup, League Leaders’ Shield and Grand Final to Rovers, but I am certain that Peet will already be focusing on what comes next.
The fans, however, well that could be a different matter. Wigan were at full strength in the Grand Final, and with several admissions that we are spending up to the cap, I don’t believe there will be any incomings during the winter. I am sure KR will find it tough to manage the cap when their treble-winning contracts start coming up for renewal, but for Wigan, there will be a big job to get a fresh look on the training ground and a fresh spark in the fans’ eyes.
Glynn Bradshaw:
Well, what a sad way to end the season, one which promised so much, but has led to the trophy room being emptied of all contents, bar the World Club Challenge.
We started the game promisingly, whereas Hull KR started tentatively, and their handling errors enabled us to have a territorial advantage and build pressure. Ultimately, however, the failure by Farrell and French to convert their chances cost us dearly.
However, the next vital turning point came with the sin-binning of O’Neill – disappointing, as we know that tackling above the horizontal usually leads to the perpetrator taking a 10-minute breather.
This not only left us a man short, but it enabled Hull KR to gain the ascendancy territorially for the first time, and our right side defence looked a little fragile, which Hull KR exploited to take a 10-point lead before O’Neill returned to the fray.
If the first 20 minutes belonged to Wigan, the second 20 certainly belonged to Hull KR, and although Keighran pulled two points back, our rising error count meant we were probably a little fortunate to only be 10-2 down at the break.
We needed to score first, and Jai Field yet again provided the assist for Smith to cross for a lovely try, which, surprisingly, Keighran failed to convert. However, the gap was down to four points, and the Wigan fans raised their voices, sensing a comeback.
However, crucially, in the resulting set from the kick-off, we made yet another error, and Hull KR increased the lead to six points. Still, we had pressure at this point, but more handling errors proved our undoing, and the Jez Litten try proved the killer blow, meaning even the most optimistic of the Warriors faithful realised the game was up.
It was a most un-Wigan-like performance, littered with errors, and our defence was not as solid as usual, but credit to Hull KR, they were the better team on the night.
Hull KR were content to contain us within the 10-metre line, as that lack of strong-running, metre-gaining forward(s) has meant we have struggled in that area all year.
Worryingly, I don’t know if we have got much wiggle room under the salary cap to bring some fresh faces in for 2026. No doubt the coaching staff will conduct their own post-mortem, and see where we need to improve.
The retention of Paul Deacon is a positive one, and I hope that with no World Club Challenge and Vegas distractions, we can concentrate on hitting the ground running in Super League and a serious assault on a Wembley trip.
Congratulations to Ethan Havard, Smith and Jake Wardle on their selection for the Ashes series.
It is time for a well-earned breather for fans and the rest of the squad. We look forward to 2026 with renewed optimism. We are the boys...
Darren Wrudd:
When you get two teams rated as highly as Wigan and Hull KR, the margins can be a fine line. Not this time, I am sorry to say.
The first 15 minutes or so, I think we can all agree that we looked dangerous with the ball in hand, and I thought it could be a close game, but several chances went begging, and general handling errors from Wigan were enough throughout the game to gift the Robins the spoils.
Four pivotal points for me stood out in the game, which could have gone both ways, but fell against us. Farrell missed a difficult pass to open the scoring, not a gimme for sure, but many times through the year we have taken them. French wanted his head rattling for dropping the ball over the line, too – his casual body language for tapping down a ball invites defence to hit him when possible. He should have held tight and fallen over the line – it would have been game on.
O’Neill, I thought, was unlucky in his errant tackle. Tyrone May is a lanky half, and O’Neill went low to effect a solid hit, sheer physics took care of the rest, and the 10-minute sit-down penalty was costly for the team and effectively shut us out of the game.
Finally, a moment which I thought highlighted not only the referee’s attitude, but that of the RFL and the media commentators. So desperate, it seems, are the collective group of interested parties to give Wigan’s opposition the advantage, that one whom can be easily described as the dirtiest player in Super League 2025, JWH, was passed to play after his ban went to appeal, he led all night with his elbow and forearm and when he poleaxed Junior Nsemba, not only did none of the assembled officials see it, but even in a slow motion repeat, the commentators just gushed about the following play and totally ignored it.
Now, refereeing is an extremely difficult task, and I would not like to have chosen that as a career, but with a ruck that was so slow it makes a glacier seem speedy, and some thrashing about in the tackles to extract a penalty or just try to injure the Wigan players or draw a reaction, I don’t think the officials covered themselves in glory. Just watch the NRL for a game or two and see how the rucks should be policed – we would have had three penalties per set for the whole night.
That said, KR were much more energetic in defence and managed their energy levels far better than we did. Pinning us after almost every set and challenging us to run 95 metres to score. Our forwards were bullied, and our backs were having to work so hard out of yardage that we were tired and lacked that spark needed to win a final.
Credit to Elliott Minchella and Jez Litten, I thought they had magnificent games, whilst the one who must not be named took all the glory.
Although losing in the final was heartbreaking, we were there once again. Many clubs would want to be as successful as Wigan, and yet the year feels like a letdown. This is what happens, of course, when our expectations are so high, and I can only imagine how the players and staff feel.
The year of rugby I have enjoyed immensely, and after a personal illness, I have had time to ponder and come to realise just how much we invest emotionally in our club. So yes, we are all disappointed, and we should be. We want success as much as every fan of every club does, and that’s the beauty of sport.
The slate is wiped clean now, and we all start to dream of what could be next year. I shall certainly be there to cheer the lads on, God willing, and I hope you will too. Until then, we have an Ashes tour to win.
With the usual hype from the media as to why certain players have been left out of the squad, Shaun Wane must be tired of being second-guessed. Let’s see how well we do, and then we can examine and analyse the performance like we just love to. Hope you all winter well and roll on 2026.