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Wigan Warriors among the greats, Junior Nsemba, Hull KR’s biggest downfall and Grand Final talking points

Wigan Warriors

So there it is, Wigan Warriors are the 2024 Super League champions and it all felt so inevitable.

Matt Peet’s side have been the best side in the competition by some distance this season and their four-trophy haul only underlines that fact with the Warriors somehow getting better and better.

Hull KR can be proud of their efforts on the night, but it just wasn’t meant to be in their first ever appearance in a Grand Final.

Here’s a look at some of the talking points to emerge from Saturday night’s Grand Final, with Wigan winning 9-2.

History made

Matt Peet’s side will go down in history as only the fifth team in history to complete a clean sweep of trophies on offer. Beating Penrith Panthers was a remarkable feat earlier in the season but what the Warriors have managed to do since then ought to see them lauded as one of the best side’s English rugby league has ever seen.

The Challenge Cup came in June with a win over Warrington Wolves and the League Leaders’ Shield followed with the Warriors racking up win after win to finish on top of the pile. The Grand Final victory will arguably feel the sweetest, though, as they got over the line on the biggest day of the season.

They probably weren’t at their free-flowing best in attack but defensively they turned in a masterclass to grind KR down and squeeze the hope out of them. It was a match for the purists, the scoreline is enough to tell you that, but Wigan won’t care. They’ve retained their title, joined what is now a five-team list of Grand Slam winners and what’s frightening is they are only getting better.

Experience counts

A lot was made of Wigan Warriors’ big stage experience heading into the game and it probably paid dividends on the night against a team who were making their Grand Final debut. Wigan had played in 12 previous Grand Finals, all but one of them being at Old Trafford and they knew how to handle it.

They knew how to weather early pressure from KR and they didn’t panic if things didn’t go their way. That composure and self-assuredness probably contributed to KR losing theirs.

KR seemed to lose a little faith in attack when they failed to find the breakthrough and as they ran out of ideas and time ticked down, they became frantic at times when in good ball territory. Rovers huffed and puffed but Wigan never gave them the leg up the east Hull outfit needed, they never took risks and they held their defensive shape and structure to the very last second.

Bevan brilliance

The one standout piece of play from the Grand Final was the action that ultimately won the match with Bevan French underlining why he’s the best player in the Northern Hemisphere right now.

Attacking KR’s left edge on the halfway line, French received the ball with time to think. A slight drop in pace and a dummy opened up a gap between Mikey Lewis and Matt Parcell in the Rovers line and once that mistake had been made, French showed the defensive line a clean pair of heels as he rounded Niall Evalds and touched down under the posts.

KR won’t be pleased with how he slipped through the line, but the effort was enough to win the game for the Warriors.

Junior Nsemba incident

Nsemba’s race looked run as he hit the deck in the first half. The back-rower thumped his head on the Old Trafford turf after being tackled low by James Batchelor and a moment of concern followed.

Laying motionless on the pitch, Wigan’s medical staff rushed to his side. He was eventually helped to his feet and down the tunnel and at that point it looked for all the world that the Super League young player of the year was done for the night.

Incredibly though, 12 minutes after leaving the field, he re-emerged from the tunnel and returned to the action after passing a HIA. He wouldn’t have returned if it wasn’t deemed safe for him to do so and according to the Opta stats, he went on to make 120m and 24 tackles in the contest.

KR will be back

The Robins deserved their spot in the Grand Final and as they stood back and watched Wigan Warriors lift the trophy, eyes will have already turned to 2025. Willie Peters will be hoping those at the club next season remember how that moment felt and use it as motivation to go one better next time around.

Rovers will be infinitely better off for experiencing the Grand Final and while it is cliché, losing one might just be the step before winning one on the journey KR are on.

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