If Adrian Lam closes his eyes he can probably still see it. At first sailing inexorably towards the posts against the Hull night sky, then clanging off an upright and bouncing gladly away from the flapping Bevan French and falling invitingly for overnight hero Jack Welsby.
The moments that immediately followed Tommy Makinson’s audacious Grand Final drop-goal attempt turned success into failure for Wigan. That is the harsh nature of a league structure which hinges entirely on the outcome of one game. Whether it’s in Manchester in October or Hull in November. The League Leaders Shield - which Wigan won by some mathematical Rachelrileyism more absurd even than win percentage - is wrongly viewed as scant consolation these days.
Yet Lam would do well to remember that he has come a long way since his initial elevation into the Wigan coaching hot-seat. Back then he was considered a stop-gap until the Shaun Edwards debacle offered him an opportunity. Though they ultimately fell short the 2020 Wigan more resembled the horrible, hard to beat envelope pushing rule benders they were under Shaun Wane. Perceived wisdom before a ball has been kicked in 2021 is that Wigan are the team most likely to stop Saints winning a third consecutive title. That’s partly because many of the other contenders are either building under new coaches or in various states of disarray. But it’s also because Wigan are pretty good too.
If Wigan’s off-season recruitment is anything to go by then Lam seems content with his squad. There have been only two major arrivals, while a good deal of trimming has gone on. Nine players who were around in 2020 are unavailable in 2021 for one reason or another. That figure doesn’t include the team’s main providers of flair and excitement - French and Jackson Hastings - both of whom have re-signed with the Warriors for this year but whose whereabouts ahead of the Round 1 clash with newly promoted Leigh Centurions is the subject of much whispering and sniggering among fans of other clubs.
The biggest name walking through the entrance is familiar face John Bateman who returns to Wigan after a two-year spell with Canberra Raiders. Bateman played 132 times for Wigan between 2014-18 after making his name with Bradford Bulls. He is now recognised as one of the premier back rowers in the world, with 16 caps for England and a further four for Great Britain. He is one of the still few Brits who has genuinely cracked the NRL and managed to shine. As long as Lam doesn’t ask him to play centre Bateman should have a major impact at Wigan both on and off the field. He will not be skipper - that honour having been bestowed upon ageless halfback/hooker hybrid Tommy Leuluai - but Bateman will play a key role in filling the leadership void left by the finally retired Sean O’Loughlin.
The other big signing will be handy if it turns out French and/or Hastings don’t wash up on our shores like the 14th wave of an endless pandemic. Jai Field is a 22 year-old halfback with limited NRL experience but devastating pace and elusiveness. Field played just 11 times for St George-Illawarra Dragons between 2017-19 before making just six appearances for Parramatta Eels last year. But there is no shame in not getting a lot of game time behind Dylan Brown and Mitchell Moses. Even if French and Hastings start regularly it is not hard to envisage Field coming off the bench late in games to cause havoc among tired defences.
To those departing now and outside the once talismanic O’Loughlin there are one or two others who have been part of previous successes whom Lam no longer requires. Enemy of sport Ben Flower has gone to neighbouring Leigh, while the pacy but injury prone presence of Joe Burgess is now part of Richard Marshall’s Salford project. Wigan are fresh out of Burgesses after George’s hip injury forced his departure after only one season and just eight first team appearances. Saints fans may also find it easier to tolerate Joe Greenwood now after he joined Huddersfield Giants. The former Saints academy product never looked right in a Wigan shirt. But he was never as good as Zeb...so.....
Wrapping up the squad-shaping Jack Wells has joined the faster of the world’s many rugby league Burgesses at Salford, youngster Harry Rushton has snapped up the chance to take the Bateman-George Williams-Ryan Sutton route and joined Canberra, while long time back-up centre Chris Hankinson is on loan at Championship London Broncos.
Ignoring their current and probably short-term staffing issues Wigan’s Achilles heel in 2021 appears to be the front row. With Flower gone and Tony Clubb seemingly kept around out of sentiment and obligation like Father Jack, the responsibility falls on a young and frankly....er.....irresponsible group. Morgan Smithies, Oliver Partington, Liam Byrne and company have all the nastiness to succeed long term but have yet to prove they can boss a game against equally physical, more street smart foes. Brad Singleton has proved that he can’t, though Joe Bullock and Ethan Harvard have shown great promise. Bateman’s role, along with that of Leuluai, Liam Farrell and Sam Powell will be crucial in helping lead and elevate the more inexperienced players. And calm them the Hell down at times. Good luck with that.
There is better news in the backs. French and Hastings have obvious qualities and would grace any side, while Oliver Gildart is one of the best centres in the league right now. Zak Hardaker has shown himself to be more than serviceable there too should Lam persist with French at fullback and maybe unleash Field’s pace to compliment Hastings’ craft in the halves. Out wide letting Joe Burgess go was an eyebrow-raiser given the departure of Tom Davies to Catalans Dragons a year previously. Where once Wigan had a wing corps to rival Manchester United’s four-pronged strike force of the 1990s now they rely on the talented but physically well-worn pairing of Dom Manfredi and Liam Marshall.
It’s not how you start but how you end at clubs like Wigan, but they will nevertheless be under pressure to deliver a routine win over Leigh in Round 1. After that they face another side expected to struggle in Wakefield before things get tougher with Leeds, Castleford and Hull FC making up the first five.
The run-in towards what would be a second consecutive League Leaders Shield starts with another meeting with Leeds before Round 22 pitches Wigan against Castleford again. Warrington, Hull FC and Catalans Dragons may or may not constitute a tough final three fixtures before the knockout football begins.
And it is that which Lam will surely prioritise. First in the Challenge Cup where a 26-12 semi-final defeat to Leeds is another painful memory of 2020, but more importantly on reaching and winning that Grand Final.
It is the only way Lam will ever get the image of a once-in-a-lifetime season ending and that Hull night sky out of his mind.
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