Brad O’Neill is determined to savour every moment of Wigan’s quest for a third consecutive Super League Grand Final win against Hull KR at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The 23-year-old hooker watched his side’s 2024 win over Rovers on crutches after undergoing surgery on an ACL injury that stalled his hugely impressive career trajectory.
Since returning to action against Salford in March, O’Neill has reaffirmed his place as Matt Peet’s first-choice number nine, as well as shouldering back into pole position for the starting berth for England in the upcoming three-test Ashes series.
And having already experienced the highs and lows of the domestic game – he featured in Wigan’s 2023 win over Catalans Dragons just 18 months after finishing a loan spell at Championship Newcastle – O’Neill believes he has emerged much stronger for the experience.
O’Neill told the PA news agency: “It was a bitter-sweet feeling watching last year’s final, because I was very proud of everything we had achieved, but to miss it and sit on the sidelines was tough.
“The fact I’ve come through my injury and got that chance again makes it very special, because you don’t know if you’re going to get the chance again. After what I’ve been through, I certainly won’t be taking anything for granted.”
O’Neill’s defensive qualities and authoritative game management have seen him shine as arguably the best domestic player in his position, challenged only by his Rovers counterpart Jez Litten, a relative veteran at 27 who has come into his own during Rovers’ successful 2025 campaign.
O’Neill only has praise for Litten, with whom he is likely to be vying for prominence when England head coach Shaun Wane names his squad for the three-test series against the Australians on Monday.
“Jez has been a good player for years but he’s really kicked on this year and really taken the role as his own,” added O’Neill. “Rovers have been the best side this year. They deserved to win the Challenge Cup and the League Leaders’ Shield, and for us to be anywhere on Saturday night we will need to be at our best.”
Peet’s men struggled for a period of the 2025 campaign, losing three in six during June and July, and also falling 10-6 at home to Rovers in the last meeting between the two clubs in August.
But they predictably found form when it matters, bouncing back from that reversal against Rovers to round off the regular season with five straight emphatic wins, in contrast to their final opponents, who somewhat limped over the line despite losses to the likes of Wakefield and Leeds.
Wigan captain Liam Farrell has seen it all during his illustrious career and the 35-year-old says he is as motivated as ever to mark his 10th Grand Final appearance with more silverware.
Victory will see Wigan join Leeds and St Helens as the only clubs to win three consecutive Grand Finals, and further lift the current Wigan squad into the pantheon enjoyed by so many former Cherry and White sides whom the home-grown Farrell grew up idolising.
“I’ve been at this club for 20 years and it’s always been built on success,” said Farrell. “I remember being a ball boy aged 11 or 12, watching the likes of Leeds and Bradford and teams like that, and I just wanted to be involved in those games.
“We have spoken about what it will mean to win three in a row and we are 80 minutes away from having that success, and going down in Wigan’s history as one of the greatest teams. It would be very special to do so, especially as champions.”
Wayne Rooney disagrees with Steven Gerrard’s ‘egotistical losers’ comment
Tom Davies: Hull KR’s band of Wigan-born ‘country bumpkins’ can win Grand Final
Ethan Ampadu: Wales will recover from England loss in time for Belgium qualifier
Hull KR vs Wigan Warriors prediction: Super League Grand Final tips & odds
Ricky Hatton funeral latest: Mourners gather as boxing legend’s procession begins
Mansfield player who killed cyclist returns to squad after prison release
