George Marsden caps whirlwind Wigan Warriors rise with first senior try - ‘I got there in the end!’

George Marsden admitted scoring his first senior try for Wigan Warriors was a moment he will never forget after the teenager helped his hometown club to a 40-16 victory over Catalans Dragons in Paris.

The 17-year-old halfback produced another assured display in just his third first-team appearance, crossing for a memorable first senior try as Wigan backed up last week’s Challenge Cup final triumph at Wembley with a professional Super League win at the Stade Jean-Bouin.

Marsden’s moment arrived in the 32nd minute. The former Golborne Parkside junior supported a break through the middle before showing excellent footwork to beat Charlie Staines, Matty Russell and Kruise Leeming on his way to the corner.

Reflecting on the score afterwards, Marsden revealed it stemmed from work Wigan had focused on throughout the week.

“We’ve spoken all week about pushing through the line, and once I saw Brad (O’Neill) and Jack (Farrimond), I just thought I’m going to have to go with them here, so then the opportunity came, and I managed to take it in the corner,” Marsden told Wigan Today.

“It’s a lot quicker, bigger bodies, it’s a lot tougher, you cover a bit more distance, but I managed to get there in the end!”

Marsden was handed the opportunity to start in the halves alongside Farrimond following Harry Smith’s suspension, with the youngster finding out only days before the trip to France that he would be involved.

“I think it was on Wednesday when we came in after Wembley,” he explained.

“Matty (Peet) pulled me to one side in the morning, telling me I was going to play, so just to make sure I was ready for it.”

The Warriors arrived in Paris fresh from lifting the Challenge Cup with a dominant win over Hull KR at Wembley seven days earlier, but there was no sign of a hangover as Peet’s side raced into a commanding lead before eventually running out comfortable winners.

Marsden was pleased to see the Cherry and Whites respond so well to the challenge.

“It was going to be a tough challenge coming here straight after Wembley but all the lads showed up, put in a good effort and we got the result in the end,” he said.

Although he did not feature in the Challenge Cup final itself, Marsden was part of Wigan’s travelling squad at Wembley and got a close-up look at the celebrations.

“They took us down to Wembley,” he said. “It was obviously a brilliant experience.

“I’m only 17 but managed to get down with the first-team, being down in the dugout while the game was on and being with all the boys afterwards, it’s something you dream of since being a young kid.”

The trip to Paris was made even more special by the presence of family and friends in the crowd.

“A few came over - my nan and grandad were here,” Marsden smiled. “My dad was on holiday so he couldn’t make it, but a few of my mates came over who always come to the Wigan games, so I had loads of support here.”

Marsden’s rapid rise has been one of the success stories of Wigan’s season. Still studying at St John Rigby College, the teenager has now made three senior appearances since his debut against Bradford Bulls last month.

Looking back on his journey, Marsden admitted he could never have imagined finding himself in this position just 12 months ago.

“If I look back at this point last year, I was still injured, so I probably didn’t expect to be this far on in my career already, but I’m very grateful to Matty and Duffs (John Duffy) for bringing me in,” a proud Marsden added.