These days, a trip to Warrington or Wigan yields plenty of evidence as to their status as glamorous and wealthy Super League clubs – but on Saturday, when they meet at Old Trafford for the right to be crowned Super League champions, there is an admirable subplot beneath the glitz and glamour to confirm why they are two of British rugby league’s dominant forces.
Eleven miles separate the towns and the final Super League table split them by a point at the top but in terms of the work they do to produce the stars of today and tomorrow, the two are more alike than they probably care to acknowledge.
Eleven of Wigan’s 19-man squad are products of the club’s academy with more than a third of Warrington’s contingent homegrown – and a sprinkling of Wiganers in there for good measure as well.
It is easy to say injuries, particularly at Wigan, have forced the clubs to blood more youth than they might have planned. Yet the big names absent for both clubs are not overseas, they are players such as Sam Tomkins and Ben Currie. However, Wigan were given a significant boost on Friday when they added their captain, Sean O’Loughlin, to a revised 19-man squad. O’Loughlin has history of this type of recovery, playing in Wigan’s Challenge Cup and Grand Final appearances of 2013 without appearing in between. He has not played since 5 August, meaning another remarkable recovery if he is passed fit after being included at the expense of Jack Wells, who was in Shaun Wane’s original squad.
The new England coach, Wayne Bennett, has decided to watch the Grand Final 12,000 miles away in Australia – that is another argument – but when he does, he will see two teams at the forefront of the international production line for this year’s Four Nations. Some players have established themselves as first-team regulars over a number of years – others have done so in a matter of weeks. A season-ending injury to the hooker Michael McIlorum – another former Wigan academy player – gave Jake Shorrocks a chance to impress in the latter stages of the season and he has not disappointed.
This will be his 13th professional appearance, although he does have previous with Old Trafford. “I’ve been to every single Grand Final Wigan have been in – either as a fan or, in the case of last year, as a player,” he says. “I know the place well but this will be a completely different kettle of fish.
“In 2010, I was a ballboy for the game. I was stood in the tunnel and Sam Tomkins walked past me and knocked the ball out of my hand. I thought I was going to get into trouble – I was starstruck.”
Warrington have plenty of Old Trafford debutants: 12 of their expected 17 will play in a Grand Final for the first time, with one in particular holding some strong heritage when it comes to the opposition. “It’s a bit strange, being against my hometown club and the team who I made my debut for,” said the winger Matty Russell, now a vital part of Tony Smith’s Warrington.
“My family and friends are all from Wigan, they all support Wigan and will be tuning in wanting them to win. I was suited up watching Wigan in 2010, being on the fringes of the first-team squad, so I know what it’s like to be here, but to play will be incredible.”
Defeat for Wigan would be a third straight loss in the showpiece while Warrington are aiming to be crowned Super League champions for the first time, having lost their two previous Grand Finals – including one against Wigan in 2013.
“There’s nothing much lower in sport, to get all that way to the final and sit on the grass and watch the opposition run around you lifting the trophy,” says Matty Smith, who will lead Wigan if O’Loughlin does not play. “It’s not just after the game either. You have to see it on repeat for months on end and it stays with you until you kick off the following season. It’s a long off‑season, it’s all you think about and that’s motivation enough for me to get it done on Saturday night.”
“We won’t speak about the losses,” says the Warrington captain, Chris Hill, another Wiganer by birth. “There were only a couple of us involved. I’m sure messages will get passed on but it’s irrelevant. They beat us in 2013 but that was three years ago. It would be unbelievable to help captain this side to history. Losing at Wembley will help us, I promise you that.”
“Look at Cronulla Sharks,” Russell says. “They won the NRL for the first time last weekend, Hull won at Wembley for the first time: maybe it’s a year of firsts in rugby league.”
Their three meetings this season have been of the highest quality and there is little to suggest their fourth will be any different. History awaits the winner and whether it is primrose and blue or cherry and white ribbons on the trophy, it is to be hoped Old Trafford will witness another classic.
