Wigan Warriors captain Georgia Wilson savours Wembley triumph - ‘It was a really proud moment’

Georgia Wilson spoke of her pride after captaining Wigan Warriors Women to a second successive Challenge Cup triumph following their clinical 54-6 victory over rivals St Helens at Wembley.

The England international led Denis Betts’ side out under the famous arch as sole captain for the first time, having shared the role with club legend Vicky Molyneux during last year’s historic quadruple-winning campaign.

Wilson and her teammates produced another outstanding display on the biggest stage, running in 10 tries to retain the trophy they won for the first time 12 months ago.

Reflecting on the achievement, the 29-year-old admitted it was a special moment to follow in the footsteps of former skipper Molyneux.

“It feels great,” Wilson smiled.

“It was obviously really special last year being able to co-captain with Vic (Molyneux), but there are big boots to fill with her - she led by example - and hopefully I’m taking after her now, but it was a really proud moment to lead the girls out again.

“I’m so proud of all the girls. Jenna (Foubister) gave Eva (Hunter) all four of her tries, so she did a good job - I’m proud of her.”

Wigan’s latest Wembley success continues a remarkable period for the women’s team, with the Warriors having now won five trophies since the start of last season.

While the squad contains some of the country’s brightest young talent, Wilson believes the foundations of their success are built on the commitment shown away from the spotlight.

The Warriors continue to operate in a semi-professional environment, with players balancing rugby alongside full-time jobs and other commitments - and Wilson believes that dedication is now being rewarded on the field.

“We all sometimes moan about having to train three nights a week, but it’s working for us,” she said.

“If you want to be professionals, you’ve got to act like professionals. You’ve got to come in three nights a week and work at the same time, but if you want to slowly go towards a professional game and start getting paid and have it as a job rather than be semi-pro, then that’s what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to start somewhere.”

Wilson was also quick to acknowledge the work done behind the scenes by Betts and his backroom staff.

“I do think we’ve got a really good backroom staff,” she said.

“Obviously Denis is the lead coach but without everybody else in the background, we wouldn’t be able to do this without them.

“Our S&C (strength and conditioning) team work really hard at making sure we’re not doing too much actually. I think a lot of teams, from personal experience in the past, you can work too hard but you can then become fatigued and then you don’t feel ready to step on a field and play.

“It’s about getting that balance, so they’re looking after us and we’ve got our team managers and volunteers that work hard behind the scenes as well - but everyone works so hard, and it’s a great vibe - I love this team.”

The latest triumph once again showcased the quality of Wigan’s emerging stars, with the likes of Player of the Match Jenna Foubister and four-try star Eva Hunter playing key roles in the victory.

Wilson believes the strength of the current squad is helping to raise standards across the women’s game, although she admits there is always the possibility that some of the club’s brightest talents could eventually be tempted by opportunities in Australia’s NRLW competition.

“I think it’s really refreshing for the women’s game,” she said.

“The women’s game and men’s game is changing now, obviously all these young girls have grown up from playing from a young age and myself and these young girls also spend a lot of time watching the NRL and NRLW.

“We’ll be lucky to still have these girls here, but there is also a risk of them signing over in the NRL, so we’ll do our best to retain these girls.”

The Warriors will now turn their attention onto defending their Women’s Super League title - with the League Leaders’ Shield and Grand Final still to play for.