Wigan Warriors coach Shaun Wane has insisted that the club’s Grand Final defeat to Leeds hasn’t been forgotten in the camp – and isn’t likely to be as the club aim to avoid another heartbreak in 2016.
The Warriors have lost the last two Old Trafford showpieces, but start their quest to win Super League XXI tonight against Catalans – who will feature former Wigan great Pat Richards in their ranks.
And Wane said the loss still hurts him immensely, and says that 22-20 loss is being used as a motivation within the camp.
“It’s not been forgotten about; it still hurts me to this day given the way we lost and the way we gave it to Leeds for them to win three trophies,” he said.
“I remind the players about it every now and again because we don’t want to be in that position again – I’m sick of having these pre-seasons where we talk about how we haven’t win anything.”
Wane did admit he’s looking forward to welcoming Richards back to the club this evening too – saying he’ll be a superb signing for the French outfit.
“Pat is still very highly thought of here by us. His family are coming over early and stopping over, so we’ve a good relationship with Pat continuing all the time.
“He did a lot of good things for us and although we want two points against him, we still hold him in very high regard.
“He’s a great player, and a great goalkicker. He’s smart and he’ll be a real asset for Catalans – they’ll enjoy having him on the wing.”