Wigan 12 — 4 Warrington 
by James Nalton 
at Old Trafford 

WIGAN gave a fitting send off to their coach Shaun Wane, beating Warrington in a Super League Grand final for the third time.

Players Sam Tomkins, John Bateman, and Ryan Sutton will also leave the club after this season, and the potential for a positive final storyline spurred Wigan on to victory.

Wane leaves to take up a role with Scottish Rugby Union, but after 30 years as a supporter, player, and member of the club staff, it is an emotional exit.

“I’ll miss it. It’s the best club in the world,” he said after seeing his side lift the trophy.

“To go out like this, it’s the best feeling ever. I’m so glad we could end it this way, so proud. I’m absolutely made up for the fans and all the staff who’ve worked with me and shown me so much respect.

“But the main one for me is the players. The respect they shown me and how they’ve put up with me over the years; they’ve been outstanding.”

Warrington opened the scoring just as they had in their three previous Grand Final appearances. A clever pass from Stefan Ratchford found Josh Charnley and he crossed in the corner. Tyrone Roberts missed the difficult conversion from the touchline meaning the lead was a narrow one.

Dom Manfredi replicated Charnley’s effort at the other end having been fed by Gildart in similar fashion. Tomkins missed the kick from the touchline to complete the symmetry.

Warrington had some good field position in the first half, but lacked the spark and creativity with their final pass of kick. The type of play which Ratchford had shown for that first try wasn’t seen again on the opposition line.

It was Wigan who took the lead when George Williams’s quick thinking produced a kick which Tom Davies touched down in the corner. He crashed into the advertising hoardings for his trouble, on the cramped Old Trafford pitch.

The tunnel shook at half time as the players scuffled inside it. Tempers flared and objects were thrown from the crowd as the teams made their way off following a hard-fought opening stanza.

The second half was high in work rate but low in scoring. Warrington again had plenty of opportunities close to the opposition line, but lacked imagination when it mattered.

Ratchford was working alone in the creative stakes, and the fact he walked away with the Harry Sunderland Trophy despite being on the losing side summed up his performance. 

Manfredi may have felt he was in with a shout of winning the award, but he’ll be more than happy with his winner’s medal. He crossed in the corner from Tomkins’s pass to seal the victory for his side.

Tomkins was lucky to stay on the pitch in the first half and twice escaped a sin-binning, first for a trip and then for a stray knee to the head of Daryl Clark.

“That would have been a yellow card if it was a normal game,” said Warrington coach Steve Price. 

“Sometimes they get those calls. But defensively, I thought [Wigan] were outstanding. They kept turning us away on the tryline, but I thought there wasn’t much between the two teams tonight.”

So near yet so far again for Warrington, who have not won the biggest prize in the game since 1955, and this was their fourth Grand Final loss in the Super League era. 

But for Wigan it was a special moment. “I don’t think we were ever going to lose it,” summarised an emotional Wane, while Warrington never looked like they had what it took to win it.