Wigan Warriors- The 18th man: 'We would not be the team we are without Sam Powell'

Robert Kenyon

Sam Powell as a player is one of the hardest working defenders to have ever played for the club.

When it comes to effort and hard work he is right up there with the best of them.

When he first came into the side he was a scrum half but he found his calling in the hooker position.

I can’t believe it's been 10 years since he made his debut.

Sam Powell sets a brilliant example for the young players in the squad for them to take advantage of a position change and that being a way to get into the first team and working your socks off to keep your place in the side and be a success on the pitch winning countless trophies.

If there is a player who sums up the culture and character of Wigan post Michael Maguire then it’s Sam Powell.

Darren Wrudd

We can count ourselves fortunate here at Wigan Warriors, not just due to us being the biggest name in rugby league but that we produce and hone some of the greatest players that the game has ever seen.

Historically names like Clarke, Ashurst, Edwards, Gregory, Farrell, O’Loughlin, heck I could fill the page easily with these superstars who have done the club proud.

Every so often we get a player who perhaps shuns the limelight, travels a little under the radar and yet is quite often the bedrock on which we stand as a team.

Sam Powell is such a player and we are extremely lucky to watch him once more in our colours.

As a youngster coming through the ranks it took him a while to find his groove but by the time he broke into the first team squad the management at the club already had him pinned as a leader of this team.

He proves these qualities each time he takes to the field and sets up so many plays but it's always the flashy finishers that grab the headlines.

Be in no doubt though that we would not be the team we are without Sam Powell both in attack and defence.

His passion for the badge is always on show and I remember a photo of him celebrating a Williams try against Saints screaming a cheer at the crowd and I like that in a player, the raw emotion on show in a moment of unguarded bliss.

He is of course a devoted family man and extols the virtues of this club in the way he handles himself on and off the field.

Quiet and respectful kind of sums him up.

I understand he has a passion for angling, which figures as it is the sport of the contemplative man who understands his place in the grand scheme of things.

There are several events planned this year for Sam’s testimonial year and I hope we fans get right behind him and support him and his chosen charity which is the Wigan and Leigh Hospice, starting with the game this weekend.

Other events are advertised on his testimonial twitter page @Pow9RL with chances to meet the players at fan days and dinners.

I could not be more pleased that Sam Powell has been awarded the testimonial year he so richly deserves but am as equally pleased that we get to see him for years to come playing for our great club.

Looking forward to a great year for him and Wigan Warriors.