15 October 2023 , 09:39
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Proud Matty Peet says this Wigan side will be remembered as “special” after they won the Super League Grand Final - and ruined Sam Tomkins’ hopes of a fairytale finish.
Prolific winger Liam Marshall scored the decisive 52nd minute try when Catalans were down to 12 men to decide a tight Old Trafford decider. It is Warriors’ first title since 2018. And a terrific feat for Wiganer Peet, 39, who won the Challenge Cup last year in his first season as a head coach and has now added the League Leaders’ Shield and Super League title. But he put all the glory on his squad’s shoulders after they barely gave second-placed Catalans a sniff all night and became the first side in Grand Final history to not concede a try.
It was level 2-2 at the break and Peet - who started out volunteering with the club's scholarship sides before making his way through their coaching ranks - said: “It was all about our defence. At half-time, we thought Catalans could get a bit of joy down their left so there were a few technical things we spoke about. We talked about the importance of defending kicks. Then it was a recap of what we have been talking about for a few months.
“But I wasn’t surprised about what they went out and did. They did what they said they were going to do. They formulate a lot of their own ideas and as a coaching staff we give them our trust. Some people are moving on now but - in years to come - this side will be reflected on as a special group of players and men. Wigan don’t always start the season looking like the best team. But we finished so well.”
Only points difference had separated these two sides after 27 rounds of Super League action, leaders Wigan edging Catalans into second place. So it was no surprise this enthralling affair was so tight and tasty. Victory sends outgoing chairman Ian Lenagan off on a high but there was no glory for Tomkins. Catalans hoped to create history by becoming the first French club to win Super League, sending their decorated full-back into retirement in style.
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But the ex-England captain, who’d won three Grand Finals for Wigan, couldn’t inspire his side as they were eventually outdone by their own ill-discipline. There had only ever been one player yellow carded in 25 years of Grand Final history. That was St Helens’ Tommy Makinson when the champions defeated Catalans in 2021.
Wigan Warriors boss Matty Peet with the Super League trophy (PA)But the French club got two players sin-binned in the space of 24 minutes last night. The first-half yellow card for Adam Keighran - the Aussie centre who now ironically joins Wigan for 2024 - was for a tip-tackle on Kai Pearce-Paul and it initially didn't cause his side too many issues. But when Tom Davies’ was sin-binned in the 43rd minute at 2-2, Wigan ruthlessly took control.
Marshall was pulled back by the ex-Wigan winger as he tried to support England centre Jake Wardle’s classy break. But there was no let-off in the 52nd minute when Wardle - who claimed the Harry Sunderland Trophy as player of the match - once more broke clear down the left where Davies usually resided. He found skipper Liam Farrell and Marshall arrived to finish off for his 24th try of the season.
Harry Smith slotted his second goal and then a 62nd minute penalty after Keighran caught Tyler Dupree high. There was no way Wigan - on a ten-match winning run - would let-up from there as they turned the screw in front of a crowd of 58,137. Gutted Dragons chief Steve McNamara admitted: “To concede one try in the Grand Final and get beat is tough to take but we didn’t throw enough at the opposition in attack. Some of that is down to we played 20 minutes with 12 men. It took too much out of us.
Wigan's Liam Marshall scores the only try of the night at Old Trafford (Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)“Our expectation is to be not just in this final but to win it. I am flat. But I’ve no regrets. I just wished we’d played a little bit better. With the yellows, I can understand the second as a professional foul. But I didn’t think the first one was a sin-bin from what we’ve seen in Grand Finals.”
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