After Wigan Warriors were largely overlooked for the official Super League Dream Team, we’ve picked out an alternate XIII that gives the League Leaders Shield winners the credit they so often miss out on when it comes to personal accolades.
Only two of Wigan’s impressive 2026 team have made the official Super League Dream Team and that is in part because other players have simply been better, but the Warriors could and should feel aggrieved at some of the snubs.
Leeds Rhinos dominated the official Dream Team and perhaps rightly so as they have been the dominant team for much of the 2026 season, with their recent run of defeats likely creating a recency bias that leads to questions over some selections.
Whilst that may or may not be the case, we’ve picked an alternate Dream Team of players who were not selected but have still had incredible Super League campaigns and simply by the nature of them missing out on the official team, it’s fair to say that Wigan Warriors dominate.
Dissecting Leeds Rhinos v Wigan Warriors, St Helens miss the six and Wakefield make statement – Click here to watch the latest episode of the Serious About Rugby League Show
What does an alternate Super League Dream Team look like?
Full-back: Jai Field (Wigan Warriors)
The clear candidate to rival Lachie Miller and in truth, it may simply be a toss of the coin as to which you prefer. Field does have more try contributions at 33 compared to 21, though Miller is the better metre-maker.
Winger: Josh Charnley (Leigh Leopards)
In a season where he’s moved top of the all-time Super League try-scoring charts, it’s impossible to ignore Josh Charnley in this alternate team. To think Leigh were possibly not set to give him a new contract last year, it’s fair to say he’s rewarded them with his 25-try season.
Centre: Adam Keighran (Wigan Warriors)
Adam Keighran is the man who is unlucky to miss out on Dream Team selection with the centre scoring 16 and assisting 13, whilst also being the second-best goal kicker in Super League. After curbing disciplinary issues in the opening rounds, Keighran has been excellent.
Centre: Harry Robertson (St Helens)
Robertson is forced in here by merit of there not being too many standout centres. Krystian Mapapalangi flashed early on but Robertson has been strong all season, even if he’s spent the back half of it playing in the halves.
Winger: Tom Davies (Hull KR)
Tom Davies is Mr Consistent for Hull KR and he got his recognition at the club’s end-of-season awards, winning all three awards for the men’s team and securing a new contract, and deservedly so after a strong year.
Stand-off: Bevan French (Wigan Warriors)
The argument against French is that he has only played 15 of the 27 games in Super League. The argument for French is that he is the best player in the competition by a country mile and perhaps the best overseas player of all time. Factor in that he’s scored 11 and assisted 22 in his 15 games, he’s an obvious shoo-in for this alternate team.
Scrum-half: Harry Smith (Wigan Warriors)
This could have been one of several players with Lachlan Lam having another strong season but Harry Smith is the general at Wigan. Things tick because he plays and it’s easy to forget that he’s played with multiple spine combinations, yet he’s still guided them to a League Leaders Shield.
Prop: Mikolaj Oledzki (Leeds Rhinos)
The Leeds prop is NRL-bound and it’s easy to see why with the England international having one of his stronger seasons. This could well have been teammate Tom Holroyd or even Cooper Jenkins, as all three have led from the front in a strong pack.
Hooker: Tyson Smoothy (Wakefield Trinity)
It’s a crying shame that Tyson Smoothy is cutting short his time at Wakefield to return to the NRL but it’s easy to understand why. The man oozes class and given more time in Super League, he could well have proven to be one of the competition’s great signings.
Prop: Caius Faatili (Wakefield Trinity)
Pure impact from the bench, Caius Faatili brings chaos and that’s something that teams cannot handle. Retiring legend Paul Vaughan is perhaps unlucky to miss out here.
Second-row: Isaiah Vagana (Wakefield Trinity)
Controversially left out of the official Super League Dream Team, Vagana is one of those who can count himself very unlucky. The Kiwi has been a force in Wakefield’s pack and the evidence is there when he does not play.
Second-row: Chris Hankinson (Leeds Rhinos)
Switched to the second-row, Chris Hankinson has had a brilliant season at Leeds and he’s another who has found the try-line often with the utility turned second-row specialist scoring 12 tries in 26, including six of those during a six-game spell mid-season where he scored every week.
Loose forward: Oliver Partington (Wigan Warriors)
Another controversial snub from the official Dream Team, particularly when there is a strong argument that Partington has been the best signing in Super League this year. The fact he played much of the year in the second-row likely goes against him but he is one of the competition’s very best at loose forward.
Edward Sharp
September 13, 2026 at 9:31 pm
I think this team would beat the official one