‘That’s the truth’ – Kruise Leeming on Wigan Warriors’ secret to success, quadruple whispers and 2022 memories

Kruise Leeming knows what it feels like to step off the team bus at Old Trafford ahead of a Grand Final.

The Wigan Warriors man knows how it feels to walk out of the tunnel in the corner of ground in front of more than 60,000. He knows what it feels like to hear that first Grand Final whistle and he knows how that first touch of the ball feels in such a pressure environment.

Unfortunately for the hooker, he also knows how it feels to stand back and watch as the winning team lifts the Super League trophy on the Old Trafford.

That experience came back in 2022 when Leeming represented Leeds Rhinos in the Grand Final against St Helens. The hooker did get a try in the game, but Rohan Smith’s Leeds were powerless to prevent the Saints from picking up their fourth title in a row.

Two years on, the England international is preparing to walk out at Old Trafford once more, this time in the cherry and white of Wigan, who will be facing Hull KR for the chance to complete what would be an historic quadruple.

Leeming could be expected to cast his mind back to the miserable day 24 months ago then, as he prepares to step onto the turf at the Theatre of Dreams once more. He won’t be, though, with the hooker looking at this Grand Final through a different lens entirely.

Indeed, so much has changed for the 29-year-old since he was last at Old Trafford, with a spell in the NRL with Gold Coast Titans coming prior to his move to Wigan ahead of the 2024 season, it’s hardly surprising that the 2022 date feels like a lifetime ago. As such, those memories don’t come racing to the surface when he looks ahead to Saturday evening and the challenge that awaits.

“No, it feels like a different chapter,” Leeming told Serious About RL when asked if he would look back to 2022 this week. “It’s almost like I’ve never been here, it does feel like I’ve never played here. That’s the truth.

“I was in different circumstances at a different club and it had a different feel. I don’t know why but this feels like the first time being here and it’s about learning the lessons from the season.

“It’s a different group, they play different styles and they believe in different things. That’s not to say what Leeds believed in was wrong, it’s just different and it feels different. It will be a clean slate walking out.”

Leeming probably hasn’t had it all his own way since joining Wigan last winter, but it’s fair to say that prior to this weekend’s clash with the Robins, he couldn’t have wished for his first season to go any better. Matt Peet’s side started the campaign by beating Penrith Panthers to win the World Club Challenge and since then they have won the Challenge Cup and the League Leaders’ Shield.

As such, Wigan find themselves on the cusp of becoming the first side in the Super League era to win all four trophies in a calendar year. That achievement is not lost on Leeming, with the playmaker admitting it has been spoken about quietly behind the scenes at Robin Park.

“I think it’s something that we’ve spoken about. We’d be lying if we said it was something we hadn’t spoken about,” he added. “I think it’s just about doing the best you can on the day, every day, don’t look too far into the future, just get the job done each and every day and that will lead to the bigger picture of success.

“We have a really tough game this week in Hull KR, they were probably better than us the last time we played them so we know its going to be a tough game.”

So, as someone who is still relatively new to the Wigan Warriors organisation, what does Leeming believe is the key to the club’s remarkable success?

“I think people see Wigan as this well-oiled machine, which it is, but I think the thing that has surprised me is how much trust we’ve got within the players and how much trust Matty puts in us to do the right thing,” he said.

“It’s not a dictatorship, everyone has their say and everyone is free to do what they want to do within this system. When you have a team full of good people that want to help each other it’s a very powerful thing.”

He added: “He’s a great coach and he allows you to be unapologetically yourself. That means a lot to a player if he gives you the backing to be yourself because there’s so much exterior noise around professionals and sometimes you get in a rut of listening to other people and you forget who you are yourself.

“Matty reminds us who we are and gives us the freedom to be ourselves. That’s when you can play your best.”