Challenge Cup final: How Matt Peet’s Wigan Warriors conquered the rugby league world | Rugby League News

There was a time when the idea of ‘All 4 Cups’ was thought-about the holy grail of rugby league, with solely three golf equipment ever reaching the feat of capturing the league championship, county championship, Problem Cup and county cup in a single season.

The abolition of the county leagues and cups in 1970 and 1993 respectively means the data of Hunslet in 1907/08, Huddersfield in 1914/15 and Swinton in 1927/28 won’t ever be matched, however the closest factor in the summertime period has confirmed nearly as elusive.

In profitable the Betfred Problem Cup with an 18-8 victory over Warrington Wolves at Wembley on Saturday, Matt Peet’s Wigan Warriors joined Bradford Bulls and St Helens, winners of the treble in 2003 and 2006 respectively earlier than claiming the World Membership Problem the next 12 months, in holding each title accessible on the similar time.

It’s a run of success not often seen for the Cherry and Whites for the reason that heady days of the Eighties and Nineties, and long-serving captain Liam Farrell has not skilled something on this scale in his 14 years as a first-team participant.

“We have legends as gamers at our membership in [assistant coaches] Tommy Leuluai and Sean O’Loughlin – they’ve by no means performed something like this,” Farrell, who now has 11 main honours to his title, mentioned.

“Then we have gamers like Brad O’Neill who’s 21 and has received all the pieces. I have been round some time, and this can be a fairly particular squad we have right here in the intervening time.

“Clearly we have some very gifted gamers throughout the entire squad, however we have that mix of youth, expertise and expertise, and it has all come collectively. The lads like spending time with one another and loads of that’s right down to Matty and his employees.

“The best way we strategy our coaching days, we’re intense after we should be, however we even have fun and that is one of many fundamental causes we come to work. If we’re not having fun with what we’re doing, we’re not going to have the ability to carry out like we’re doing.”

For Wigan’s third-year head coach Peet, it marked the second time he had overseen his hometown group lifting the trophy in rugby league’s oldest and most prestigious knockout competitors, with the 2022 triumph within the Problem Cup having been his first trophy on the helm.

Each Farrell and Lance Todd Trophy winner Bevan French had been fast to reward the setting Peet has fostered on the membership as key to the persevering with success the Warriors are having fun with, though the boss was fast to throw that reward again onto the gamers.

Specifically, injured second-row Willie Isa received plaudits for his pre-final shirt presentation which concerned every participant speaking about their heritage and was mirrored at full-time at Wembley with a number of having the flags of the place they had been representing draped over their shoulders.

“It was very, very particular – I am certain it introduced the lads collectively digging as deep as they did,” Peet mentioned. “What Willie did there, as chief and a senior participant, was unbelievable.

“I did not know quite a bit about Aboriginal tradition, I did not know quite a bit about Cameroon, I did not know quite a bit about Swaziland, and Lebanon.

“Once you see 20 flags laid down, it makes you need that participant to do properly once you perceive a bit extra of them and I am certain the entire gamers had been the identical.

“It is superb once you get a bunch of males working collectively and we have fairly a various group, which is one thing we rejoice.”

Consideration now turns again to the defence of the Tremendous League title, with 15 matches within the common season remaining for Wigan and them sitting behind leaders and nice rivals St Helens on factors distinction having performed one sport fewer.

Peet’s strategy is not going to change, although, with the main target firmly on having fun with each second they’re collectively and realizing there are doubtlessly even higher achievements forward of them.

“This group are at their greatest once they’re taking part in for each other,” Peet mentioned. “Once I see this group play, it is like ‘How good is that this? Make them enthusiastic about profitable’.

“It is much less concerning the opposition, extra about them; How a lot enjoyable can we’ve? How a lot of a connection can we construct?

“This group of gamers, I feel, are motivated by what they will obtain and what recollections they will make collectively.”

Wigan Warriors’ Betfred Tremendous League defence continues away Castleford Tigers on Friday June 14, stay on Sky Sports activities Motion (8pm kick-off). Watch each match of the 2024 Tremendous League season stay on Sky Sports activities or stream contract-free with NOW.