THE ‘W’ appeared before 23 of 31 scorelines for Wigan last season – but it wasn’t enough to seal any silverware.
It meant the Warriors went without a pot for the first time since Matt Peet stepped up to take charge ahead of the 2022 campaign.
There was no attempt at sugar-coating his side’s showing in the 24-6 Grand Final defeat by Hull KR by the boss, who admitted: “Across the 80 minutes we weren’t where we needed to be.”
And you got the feeling the bid for a more productive 2026 campaign started there as Peet and his players went to applaud the ecstatic opposition supporters, no doubt reflecting on what might have been.
“I wish it was the Wigan fans, but next time we’ll probably enjoy it that little bit more because of tonight,” he added.
Peet emphasised the need to “keep moving forward together” and there haven’t been that many changes to the squad.
After all, this is a club with a great pedigree, a strong culture and a squad full or proven players who know what it takes to win and have consistently shown themselves capable of doing just that.
One to watch
Zack Eckersley has been elevated up the squad numbers to two as he looks to build on a couple of seasons of clear progression.
Comfortable at full-back, wing or centre, he notched seven tries in 16 outings in 2024, one of them in the Wembley Challenge Cup win over Warrington Wolves, then 15 in 24 last time around.
And at 22, there is still plenty of development left in him.
Talking tactics with Jodie Cunningham
Wigan have lost some punch in the middle with the departures of Tyler Dupree, Harvie Hill and Liam Byrne and the injury to new signing Oliver Wilson.
Wigan will therefore be hoping to keep the rest of their middles fit and firing on all cylinders if they are to continue to dominate other teams in that area.
Junior Nsemba became a little inconsistent towards the back end of last season but could have another big year in 2026. His tall stature and explosive carries make him difficult for defences to manage, often leaving defenders on the floor.
That then inhibits teams from having aggressive markers and line speed, providing the perfect platform for Jai Field and Bevan French to work their magic.
Potential milestones
Liam Farrell needs 17 appearances for 450 in his career
Liam Marshall needs 10 tries for 200 in his career
Brad O’Neill needs 7 appearances for 100 for Wigan
Squad: 1 Jai Field, 2 Zach Eckersley, 3 Adam Keighran, 4 Jake Wardle, 5 Liam Marshall, 6 Bevan French, 7 Harry Smith, 8 Ethan Havard, 9 Brad O’Neill, 10 Luke Thompson, 11 Junior Nsemba, 12 Liam Farrell, 13 Kaide Ellis, 14 Sam Walters, 15 Patrick Mago, 16 Abbas Miski, 17 Oliver Partington, 19 Jack Farrimond, 20 Sam Eseh, 21 Oliver Wilson, 22 Tom Forber, 23 Kian McDermott, 24 Harvey Makin, 25 Taylor Kerr, 26 Nathan Lowe, 27 Lukas Mason, 28 Noah Hodkinson, 29 Tiaki Chan, 30 George Hirst, 31 Jonny Vaughan, 32 Dayon Sambou, 33 George O’Loughlin, 34 Finlay Yeomans, 35 Finn McMillan
Ins: Dayon Sambou (St Helens), Jonny Vaughan (St Helens), Oliver Wilson (Huddersfield), Finn McMillan (Barrow), Oliver Partington (Catalans)
Outs: Christian Wade (Newcastle RU), Liam Byrne (Warrington), Harvie Hill (Hull FC), Jacob Douglas (St Helens), Tyler Dupree (Toulouse, loan), Harvey Makin (Oldham, loan), Kruise Leeming (Catalans, loan)
RLW predicts: 2nd
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 517 (February 2026)